One Way, Many Translations and Where To Start?

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In this short devotional from The Good Gift Podcast, we step into Scripture to answer a simple but critical question: Is there only one true way to God?

Walking through passages like 1 Kings 8:60, John 14:6, and Galatians 1, this episode challenges the idea of “many paths” and points clearly to the truth of the Gospel—that Jesus Christ alone is the way.

This conversation also explores:

• What it means when the Bible warns about a “different gospel.” 
• How to recognize truth in a world full of mixed messages 
• Why many claim faith, but live differently 
• How to find trustworthy, godly guidance 
• Where to begin if you’re new to reading the Bible 

Whether you’re strong in your faith, questioning what you believe, or simply curious, this episode is meant to encourage discernment, humility, and a deeper pursuit of truth.

No matter where you’re listening from, the invitation is the same:
 Stay in the Word. Stay in prayer. And seek the One who is truth.


 Scripture quotations are from the Good News Translation (GNT) © American Bible Society. All rights reserved. 

Transcript

Prayer For Wisdom And Clarity

Pete 0:02

Father God, we're just praying for wisdom here and what to share, how to share it. Your words, not ours. Just uh guide this recording and this conversation in a way that brings glory to you, not us, that we're able to equip and reach the lost through these messages in your word. Jesus' name. Amen. All right. First Kings 860. I'm reading out of the Good News Translation. I'm a user of many translations. I really like to look at different ones and compare them. It really helps me in my study to see different ways of translating the word. There are some I definitely don't recommend. The Passion is one I would throw out the window. And if you need more information on that, please let me know. The message is another one that even the author or the writer of the message didn't claim it to be a translation.

Choosing Bible Translations With Care

Pete 1:03

He claimed it to be a paraphrase. So that's one I wouldn't necessarily throw out, but I would keep it in its right place. It's not really a translation, it's more of a paraphrase of scripture. This version says, All the nations of the world will know that the Lord alone is God. There is no other. Not only are they not reading God's book, but evidently they're not looking into other religions that would disagree with him as well. I can respect a person who has a belief in another religion because most will have at least some evidence or something that makes at least a little sense. On the other hand, the people who have decided they know more than every scholar from every religion over thousands of years, I believe that is the most prideful place you can be, and you have no logical or reasonable argument for your stance, since all true followers of any religion think their path is the only way. But back to the seventy percent of the so called Christians, let's take a look at just a small sampling of the Bible. John fourteen, six. Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except by me. For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. Exodus thirty four fourteen. Do not worship any other God, for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.

Jesus As The Only Way

Pete 2:35

Second Corinthians eleven two through four. I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him, but I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the spirit you received, or a different gospel for the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. Galatians one, six through nine. I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel, which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preach to you, let them be under God's curse. As we have already said, so now I say again, if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God's curse. If this confuses you or someone you know, that's okay. Read the verses above again. Pray to Jesus for direction to reach out to a godly man or woman who can show you more Bible on this topic. We would be happy to help as well. I think we're seeing this right now in our country. We're seeing leaders who claim Christ but then worship other gods or say praise be to Allah or go to a Jewish temple and practice Judaism, which is another religion. We're seeing all of these, even movie stars and music artists coming out claiming Jesus, but living a whole nother way, continuing to live as the world lives, to cuss, to act ungodly in so many ways,

Warning About Another Gospel

Pete 4:23

but claim Jesus. I think that's what some of these verses are talking about, preaching another Jesus. So I'm just encouraging you to stay in your Bible, stay in prayer, stay around godly people who teach the word of God correctly, and that Jesus is the only way.

Alex 4:38

One question on that.

Pete 4:40

Okay.

Alex 4:40

How does somebody go about finding that godly person?

Pete 4:45

Finding somebody is not easy. You know, normally I would say find a Bible-believing church, but how do you even identify that if you don't know the Bible? Because most Bibles are or most churches are going to say they're a Bible-believing church, but once you get in there, you may find out something different, but you wouldn't know, wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I think I would just start with prayer and attending and joining groups and and getting around men and women. And I think you'll know them by their

How To Find Godly Mentors

Pete 5:11

fruit. I think you'll you'll see once you're once you get in scripture on your own, you'll start seeing what humility and pride looks like. And that's one of the big litmus tests for me is are these people humble or are they prideful? Are they bringing attention to them or are they bringing attention to God? And for me growing up, I didn't really have a lot of that outside of some family, but and I just got in on my own. And honestly, before I really got around a lot of godly people, I just started getting online and finding different teachers. I I'm very cautious to never focus on one teacher. That's why I have such a wide variety of teachers and people that I listen to from all types of theology, you know, from the reform to the charismatic and all in between. And I think that's what's really grown me because I haven't been indoctrinated into one denomination or belief system. And that's helped me see all the perspectives and

Learning Without One-Teacher Loyalty

Pete 6:06

find truth.

Alex 6:08

What's the benefit of gaining different perspectives from different you know, like if I if I go and grab somebody who's reformed and somebody who's a little more charismatic, somebody who's a little bit more this or that, they they obviously don't agree on some things, but what's the benefit of having both perspectives?

Pete 6:27

I just always think of Paul and and and how he writes to be all things to all people. And in order to be all things to all people, you have to know all types of people. So when you're able to put yourself in front of and find all types of people, you're able to relate better and you're able to be who they need you to be. And this is not hypocrisy because it can it can cross over into hypocrisy and acting, acting like you, you know, speaking one thing and acting another way. But I'm gonna try to be

Relating To People Without Pretending

Pete 7:00

gentle and gracious and share truth with each person that's in front of me based on my knowledge of them and their story, and that's super important. But anymore, we don't know each other, and the social media friend is someone you may not even recognize when you see them in person, but you claim them to be a friend, and that's not friendship, that's not relationship, that's not discipleship, that's just so surface level that you don't know them, so you don't know how to treat them or how to act with them, or one last question, I'm sorry.

Alex 7:32

So somebody reading that study. Where would you say they should go in scripture if they're a new believer or if they want to learn more about how to be a Christian

Social Media Versus Real Discipleship

Alex 7:43

and uh see what the Bible says and what God has to say to them? What's that? Is there a is there a book? Is there or should I just start from Genesis and go to Revelation?

Pete 7:58

I never recommend reading the Bible all the way through as a new believer, starting in Genesis and going all the way through. I even kind of

Where New Believers Should Start Reading

Pete 8:05

did that when I first started following or tried. I don't think I even finished. That being said, now that's a practice I've done for several years. I read all the way through with a group of guys on the Bible app. It's not a study time for me, it's a read time. There's a difference between reading and studying, and sometimes you just need to read the Bible and just or listen to the Bible and just let it let it soak in like a good book or a good movie and not worry about stopping and and dissecting it. But then other times, you know, so I'm doing both of those, but so I don't really have a certain book that I point people to. I do, you know, a lot of people like the book of John. Uh I was told when I first started the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, I read a blending of those four when someone tried to put those in chronological order, which is impossible, but it does put them all together so you can see all the different things that happened in in the way of Jesus. I I like that. I've got some little leather-bound little books we hand out that that has done that. I've even pointed to people to Ecclesiastes. I mean, it depends for me, it depends on again going back to what we talked about before, the relationship and what they need, what they're struggling with, their story, their journey, where are they? I mean, is this someone who doesn't know if they're saved? Is this someone who clearly isn't saved? Is this one who thinks they're saved, but just getting into it? I mean, there's all those variables when I get asked that question. The more information that I have, the more I know about the person, I think the better I can help them in pointing them to the right book to start with or place to start.