Yes, refreshing the page will work. You can also pin the "Test instead of Read" check box to the screen for those verses you are reviewing but are not due yet. Then you can just uncheck and recheck to refresh the verse. I will refresh the verse if the typo is not far into the verse, but I'll usually just eat the mistake if it is past six words or so.
I'm sorry to hear that, Saintman. I have a close friend who recently had heart surgery as well and it has been a hard recovery. I'll add my prayer as well.
You might also find a book written by Keith Moore helpful called "God's Will to Heal." Keith Moore, if you are not familiar, was the healing outreach coordinator for Kenneth Hagin Sr. for years and has taken on his healing anointing after he died a few years back. There is also a video series on the topic as well. Keith Moore does not charge for any of his materials either online or his conferences, so here is a link to it:
That reminds me of an MMO I played when I was younger called Everquest. In Everquest, you lost experience when you died and you could de-level if you were unlucky enough to die right after a level up. Like most MMOs, the higher you got the longer it would take to level up. Unlike most games, there was a glitch that made level 45 take something like 10x the amount of experience of a normal level. Because of this glitch you would end up staying in level 45 for months. Once you got out, however, leveling went back to normal. When I hit level 46 for the first time, I was celebrating like crazy because level 45 took like 9 months to get out of it. When I died shortly afterward, I crossed back into level 45 and the glitch kicked in which magnified the already high death penalty of the game. It took me three months to get back to level 46. I was not amused. I get that same feeling every time I lose progress on a verse in the 90s. I think, "well there goes 6 months of work."
Has anyone else noticed that sometimes the progress on a verse seems to lower itself on its own without displaying the lowering on the screen? Each time I lose progress on a verse it is like a punch in the gut, so I tend to remember them. Lately, though, I've had at least three verses that I do not remember losing progress on that suddenly show up on my daily review list with a drastically lower percentage. I suspect that the system detected too many mistakes on my most recent review but did not indicate it on the screen. I've seen that happen on the other end where it will say in one area that I increased a verse by 1% but the actual overall percentage does not go up.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. [Ezek 36:26-27]
I love the book of Ezekiel (especially chapters 18, 33, 36, and 37). In these four chapters you see the true heart of God. "You are a terrible people, but I have chosen you. I will honor my promises to you even though you do not deserve it, to show how great my name is. Stop sinning, for I take no pleasure in you killing yourself through sin. But even if you do not, I will still restore my people so that the other nations will see how great I am, and come to me."
Looks like Isaiah 43 is 28 verses. That is certainly doable if you are willing to put in the time. Since you are new, follow these steps: 1. In the upper right, click on Choose 2. Create a verse set 3. Create passage set 4. Type Isaiah 43 in the Quick find field and Lookup passage 5. Save verse set (do not make public) 6. Scroll down and click Learn 7. Go through all 28 verses (or 5-7 and repeat) 8. Right click on the back arrow in the browser and go back to the set (or click your name in the top right and choose verse sets, then open the Isa 43 set) 9. Click Learn again.
They should be refreshed now and ready to test again. Eventually you will hit them where they are not ready to learn. When this happens, go to step 10. 10. On the verse that is not ready to test, click on the three horizontal lines in the upper right (beside the %) and check the box labeled "Test instead of read". This will open the set back up to test earlier than when it is due. 11. Go through the set again. 12. Repeat until you know the chapter.
You may find 28 verses to be too many to learn in one go (i.e., you may forget verse 1 when you are at 14). What I like to do is go through 5-7 verses and then go back in the browser to the set and click learn again. Then I will check the "Test instead of read" box and do those five verses again. Once I feel good with those, I'll add a few more. I'll keep doing that until I get all of the verses in memory. Then I'll go through all the verses until I get them 100%.
Pro tip: you can pin the "Test instead of read" check box so that it always shows.
Pro tip 2: You can uncheck the box once you've finished a verse and check it again to instantly refresh the verse you just finished. This is a quick way to focus on a verse you are struggling with over and over.
Learning the verses will take about 2-3 hours. Reviewing them will take probably another 1-2 hours. Then take a break and do the set again. You can also get the audio version online for the chapter and listen to it in your spare time driving, taking a shower, etc., if you wish.
If you can spare 4-8 hours before graduation, you should have no problems memorizing 28 verses.
Once you get done with the craziness of finals and graduation, come back and memorize some verses when you are not on a time crunch. We're always happy to have another memorizer here!
Also, if you are looking for a large collection of great verses to memorize, you might check out my set "100 Bible Verses That Will Change Your Life (Beginners Edition)." https://learnscripture.net/verse-set/onfire247-presents-100-bible-verses-that-will-chan/. No pressure to start the set of course. It is a large one. But you can feel free to snag a few from there.
These are the verses I have waiting to be memorized: Micah 6:8, Matthew 17:20, Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 4:12, Psalm 55:22, Exodus 22:28, Deuteronomy 30:6, Ezekiel 11:19-20, Luke 19:10, Acts 2:38-39, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
Here are some I've memorized in the past that you might enjoy: Hebrews 11:1-2, 12:1-2. Matt 11:28-30. James 1:5-8, 22-25. Prov 3:5-8.
Your system sounds similar to mine but you do more reviews than I do at the beginning. I feel like more reviews at the beginning make the whole process easier. I also do not follow the review queue except for individual verses. My intervals go like this: learn (as many times as it takes to get it 100%), daily (once a day for 21 days), biweekly (7 days), weekly (7), bimonthly (7), monthly (forever). Honestly, having more reviews does not bother me as long as I'm in the 95% range on the reviews. Once I start dropping into the 90s or upper 80s my moral drops significantly. I will have to think on what you've said and see how I can adapt mine to it. Thanks for taking the time to detail all of that out, TMG!
Thanks for your contributions as well FA. I will check out the grid.
That's great, TMG. I'm still trying to figure out my progression pattern. No matter which way I do it I either end up forgetting after a couple of months or burning out from the reviews. Lately I have been in the latter which is why my reviews have been less. I wake up every morning and see my to do list and just sigh. I still do it, but when I hit a rough patch I usually just give up for the day. String a few of those together and I forget even more because of the lack of reviews. I find myself celebrating when I finish a verse because I won't have to review that one anymore, which is terrible way to view it. I've just got to power through it I guess. May I ask what your system of progression is?
That's probably because when you first created that verse set you marked it as public and the rest you did not. I like seeing it show up. It reminds me that you're still being diligent about the goal. If your at 14 it won't be long now!
This conversation is circular. I'm not sure what further value there is in continuing it. I think all parties involved have made their opinions known, and it does not appear that a consensus is possible here. Perhaps we can all just agree to disagree and move on?
"As far as I know Acts 8:37 is the only verse that gives a requirement for Baptism, and establishing believers baptism rather than paedobaptism."
There are several in fact, and two at least specifically in Acts.
“And Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Acts 2:38
"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." Acts 22:16
It is also covered in Gal 3:27, John 3:5, 1 Pet 3:21, and Mark 16:16. So you see, if this is a deliberate modification, believers are still going to be fine on that subject.
Not to muddy the water, there is some debate on whether baptism is required. Consider, for example, 1 Corinthians 1:17:
"For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."
When you stack that up with the verses on how one is saved (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5), it makes it hard to be dogmatic on the subject. Paul also did not include it in his list containing what the gospel is (1 Corinthians 15:1-8).
I post this last part not to start a new debate, but to reinforce that there are certain non-negotiables and negotiables, and baptism seems to fall into the latter category.
No, Jappel. There are certain things that have to occur because God has spoken them to occur. The obstinance of some Pharisees and Jewish leaders had to occur for God not to be a liar. Or, perhaps those things were going to occur and God crafted his plan around it. Who knows. Free will conversations would take a long time (and probably be more divisive!) so I think I'll avoid commenting further on that ha! I was simply showing through an analogy that "suspicion of bad" and "bad" are not necessarily equal.
Also, you are correct that you are entitled to your opinion. It is amazing how much opinions affect our lives. Personally, I believe that the Tennessee college football team is the best in the nation. I wear orange clothing and attend the games like any loyal fan. My belief in their awesomeness will never be shaken by the reality of their terrible win/loss record for the last decade! Its kind of funny (and sad), but in Tennessee when the Vols lose, Church attendance drops by as much as 40% the next Sunday!
Opinions are fine and don't have to be bound by reality. Opinions are also fine so long as they don't contradict the Bible teachings. Choosing the KJV over another translation is perfectly fine. Saying the KJV is the only valid translation and basing that belief on a lack of hard textual evidence (not saying anyone has done this here necessarily, but I've known those types) is a whole different affair. Not once in this discussion have I advocated for someone discontinuing the use of the KJV, and I never will. You should use the translation that helps you understand God better, and more than one preferably.
FA, regarding the status of the ESV vs. the KJV, neither of them are an upgrade or a downgrade. They are two tools used for the same purpose that reach different audiences. I mean, that's basically why we have four gospels as well. They all say the same thing differently. The different versions are all the inspired Word of God from my perspective.
You also make a great point about how the changes between versions does not invalidate the other teachings in the Bible on the subjects. I fail to see why one must use external tools to understand the KJV properly but then will not, for example, read the NASB and use online tools to see why the translators changed certain verses. Either way you're exploring the text in a deeper way. If you make the argument that a new believer will not do that, I would counter by saying that a new believer will not understand the KJV very well on their own either.
I did not grow up in a Christian household. My mom did not get saved until I was 12. When we first started going to church it was at a KJV-only church. I could understand the pastor's teachings very well because he could make the Word come alive. When I read it on my own, however, I fell asleep. All the thees and thous just hurt my head. Because that was the only accepted translation I just stopped reading the Bible. It was not until someone introduced me to the One Year Bible translation that the Word of God had any significant meaning on my own. Had I not received that version, chances are I would have probably abandoned God altogether once I got out on my own. (As a side note, don't try to witness out of the One Year Bible. It is harder than it looks!)
I was discussing this thread with one of my friends who is the director of a doctoral program here in the US, and he gave me one very good reason for memorizing the Word in the KJV: because much of it is written in iambic pentameter. That explains why the ESV is so hard to memorize certain parts that were much easier for me in the KJV. It also explains why the KJV interferes with my memorization of the ESV or NASB. So if you want a reason to use the KJV to the exclusion of others based upon textual evidence, there it is.
Here's the thing, Jappel. You view these changes with suspicion. That is great, but just because something is suspicious does not mean that it is bad. Jesus himself was viewed with suspicion by the Jewish authorities, and we all know how that turned out. If they had followed Nicodemus' suggestion that they give Jesus a hearing to learn what he says, maybe things would have turned out differently.
I have explained as a textual scholar why translators made the decisions they have made on those specific verses. There is also plenty of evidence for why the change was made in those other verses I haven't covered as well, but I do not have the time to cover them all.
Questioning is good! Now follow it up with action. 1. A good place to start is https://bestcommentaries.com/. There they list all the major commentaries and whether they are pastoral or technical. The NIVAC is a good place to start as it is more pastoral than technical. If you want technical, go with the NICNT, NIGTG, or the WBC (avoid the Anchor series until you can distinguish between liberal and conservative views.) 2. Purchase Accordance and get the digital versions of a few of those you choose and explore the evidence yourself. These commentaries (even the pastoral ones) are scholarly and have tons of sources on each point that you can explore yourself. 3. Look at those original sources and see if you come up with the same conclusions. 4. By a book on Greek and teach yourself. The 4th edition of Mouce's Basics of Biblical Greek is a good place to start. Be warned, Greek is tough and you will constantly feel stupid as you try to learn it. His video series and flashcards are a great help as well. 5. Better yet, enroll yourself in a school that will teach you the mechanics of Greek and textual interpretation and become an expert yourself. The old ones are dying off and we can always use another!
You bring up a great point 1 John 5:7. Even the website you link states that the only copies of the manuscripts come from the 14th century or later. He is wrong, though. The wording found in the 1611 KJV only comes from six sources (61, 88mg, 429mg, 629, 636mg, and 918). None of the Greek church writers quote it earlier than the 12th century. None of the ancient versions of the NT contain the words "the Father," "the word,", and "the Holy Spirit." Instead, there are hundreds of manuscripts, many written a thousand years earlier, that have "the Spirit," "the water," and "the blood." They do not appear in the earliest versions of the Old Latin or Jerome's edition of the Vulgate. Even Erasmus himself rejected it from his first two editions of his Greek NT, refusing to put it in his translation until he found a respectable manuscript which had it. Side note, he found one written in 1520 (61) which caused him to finally add it to his third edition, but he did so with forceful protest and put that protest in writing. So, as a language scholar, you expect me to accept this translation is the best use of the Greek when there is so little attestation within even a thousand years of Jesus' death? That I should blindly accept the sources you link which have no bibliography of any sort simply because it is in print on the internet? Be reasonable.
This and other supposed changes between the KJV and the modern translations have been so thoroughly explored by textual critics (in writing with bibliographies) for the last thousand years that baring a new trove of documents being found in a cave somewhere in Iraq, they are beyond contestation. Without that happening, all the supposed quotes from pastors in the middle ages cannot be verified. Unverifiable evidence is no evidence at all. That is the reason why the positions of the scholars you've quoted earlier are in the minority. Not because they are deceived, but because they use the best textual EVIDENCE available to come to their conclusions. Yet you throw out the weight of all that evidence because you've studied it for the last 15 years. Yet the evidence that you provide does not back up your claims. And whenever I try to point out that inconsistency, you respond back with condescension ("Don't worry little child, I was where you were 15 years ago. You'll get there someday little guy.") The evidence speaks for itself, and has done so for a long, long time.
There are plenty of reasons for reading the KJV. You have mentioned some of them (it is free, it does not change, etc.). It is a great translation for those who use it. Some people do so because of tradition. Some view any changes to it with suspicion because it is new, seeing the lack of KJV use as causing the loss of essential doctrines in the Church (correlation vs. causation). Some see it as a literal translation of the Greek (it is not), elevating it almost to the level of the Greek manuscripts. Some simply want to see the red letters of Jesus when he talks. All of these, and others, are great emotional reasons for deciding the KJV is best. They are not, however, based upon textual evidence.
But all of that evidence aside, let's just be frank. Some people will never read the Bible if it is in the KJV form. I've used it for forty years, and I still find it unwieldy and hard to understand because it uses language forms that have not existed for 400 years. It is great that you and I can understand it. It is also great that there are more tools available now to help someone understand it. But the fact that those tools must exist for someone to understand it gives an indication of why other translations must exist. Your experience is not the same as everyone else's experience. Even if everything you said is true and everything I said is completely false, those reasons alone will prevent people from engaging with God. Would you consign those people to hell because the KJV is the best version? Surely not!
It pains me that we cannot come to a common conclusion that God has allowed these other translations to exist for a reason: to allow people from different backgrounds and different cultures to find him. Even Paul himself modified his language based upon the target audience:
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. (1 Cor 9:19-23 KJV).
Perhaps we should all just follow Paul's example in this area as well?