Our Goals

It is difficult to begin and maintain a relationship with somebody whose character and intentions you don’t fully understand. Since Christianity is about developing a relationship with Jesus, the overarching purpose of Eternity Bible is to make Jesus findable to its readers. Our teams will achieve this by focusing on the goals below.

Primary Goal:

• To give readers a clear understanding of the text (answering the common questions and concerns that are typically left unaddressed).

Secondary Goals:

• To reconcile textual contradictions (perceived or otherwise)
• To reduce the likelihood of verses being interpreted out of context

Tertiary Goals:

• To continually shift people’s focus away from contentious, peripheral topics and towards the saving grace of Christ.
• To provide archaeological, scientific, and external corroboration wherever available

Why is the primary goal important?

God gave us his word to be understood and applied. Since most Bible translations today use words and phrases that have changed in meaning and connotation from Biblical times and cultures to ours, this isn’t always easy. As an example of how these differences can distort meaning compare New International Version’s (NIV) word-for-word translation of Luke 14:26 with Good News Translation’s (GNT) meaning-for-meaning translation (below).

If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.

Luke: 14:26 (NIV)

Those who come to me cannot be my disciples unless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and themselves as well.

Luke: 14:26 (GNT)

The GNT’s meaning-for-meaning rendition (which uses a translation approach called functional equivalence) captures the true intent and meaning of Jesus’ words better than the NIV (which uses a translation approach called formal equivalence). While the NIV is an authentic replication of Jesus’ words, its wording may mislead anybody unfamiliar with the linguistic and cultural norms of Jesus’ time.

Eternity Bible will use the functional equivalence approach because a person shouldn’t have to be a Bible scholar in order to begin or enrich their relationship with Jesus.

Why are the secondary goals important?

Contradictions can compromise the integrity of any matter and that’s especially true of God’s infallible word. Contradictions, and the tendency to read and understand verses out of context, can also lead to people cherry-picking verses that bolster misconceptions and turn non-believers further away from Christ.

Eternity Bible will reduce the likelihood of this happening by providing readers with clearer wording and annotations. These annotations will protect the Bible from accusations that it is inconsistent and contradictory. The annotations will also help Christians find answers during times of difficulty.

Why are the tertiary goals important?

Our focus should be on God’s Grace, Christ’s Salvation and the Spirit’s indwelling. We should be united by our faith in Christ and not divided by our political or personal ideologies however much they irk us. And because this is a day and age that values empirical proof, it is to our benefit to have a Bible that provides archaeological and external corroboration where available—especially since archaeological proof exists in such abundance.