Question for New Testament Scholars
New Testament scholars, I ask you,
should we translate the Greek word DIKAIOO as "to Justify"
or as "to Sanctify”? While the King James Version of the
Bible uses Justification as often as it possibly can, not all
translations do so.
A translation of the Bible which came
out in 1956 says:
"We are Jews by birth and not
sinners of Gentile ancestry. Yet we know that no man is
sanctified by the deeds the Law prescribes, but by faith in Jesus
Christ. Hence we believe in Christ Jesus, that we may be
sanctified with faith in Christ Jesus as the starting point, and not
by the deeds the Law prescribes, because by such legal deeds no man
is sanctified. Now if, while we are seeking to be sanctified in
Christ, we discover ourselves also grouped with sinners, is not
Christ then catering to sin? By no means!"
(Galatians 2:15, 16, 17) Translation by
James A. Kleist and Joseph L. Lilly The Bruce Publishing company,
Milwaukee
So not all translations translate the word DIKAIOO
as justification, some translate it as SANCTIFICATION. "Unlocking
Galatians Again" argues for the wisdom of translating it as "to
sanctify," without neglecting the other translation which is "to
justify."