Subtle Changes That Bolster Resistance to God’s Law

I am no Greek philosopher! I’ve only been studying the Greek translations little by little and learning whatever I can from the Strongs and Thayer's concordances. I like to share these little discoveries from time to time so we can all stay alert to translation errors. Every time I run into scripture that discusses the Law/Torah/Commandments in the New Testament, I’m almost guaranteed to find an alteration to its meaning in the modern translations.

Take the following verse, for example. Most translations render it this way:

John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Though subtle, you may notice a somewhat negative connotation in this verse concerning the Torah/Law, or one that suggests Jesus countered something (because of the use of “but”).

However, read the context of this verse in the first chapter of the book of John. It that tells us that the Word of God (the Torah) is Jesus in the flesh. The Greek word used at the very beginning of the sentence is “hoti” and it means “because”. The “but” is an addition by translators and doesn’t exist in the original text. This is actually how the verse should read:

John 1:17 Because the Torah [Word] was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

This verse connects the law to Christ. You cannot have Christ without the holy Law of God, and you cannot have the Law without Christ. They go hand in hand. Yet, we have translators, scholars, and teachers trying to teach us the opposite, that the Law is no longer necessary. That you only need faith and no works. Those who don't walk by faith and the Spirit, but walk in the flesh, will not be able to hear or bear anything about God's law. It is a constant battle until the day we die not to succumb to the flesh and its will to go against what God has commanded.

Romans 8:6-8 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.