Reverend Prof. Clement Owusu Sarpong, President of the Independent Non-Denominational Council – Ghana has urged Christians to take steps to seriously learn the Hebrew and Greek languages to understand the real message of God.
He said the original languages of the Bible were the Greek and the Hebrew and that Christians must be schooled to understand the real interpretation to avoid guessing God’s intention based on someone else’s translation.
“The Biblical Hebrew and Koine Greek are no longer for scholars to understand. Now you too can experience the joy that comes with this intimate relationship with God,” he stated. He stressed, “Did you know that every English translation of the Bible is really a commentary, or an interpretation of the original message by someone else? Imagine the thrill you will feel by being able to comprehend the secrets of the original languages by yourself!”
Rev. Prof. Sarpong gave the advice at the 2025 New Year School, an annual event organized by the Independent Non-Denominational Council – Ghana, Word Alive Bible College, and the Lucas Seminary. The programme is aimed at highlighting the challenges in Christianity and to search for the way forward. This year’s event was on the theme, “A Great Problem of the Church is the Misreading of the Bible.”
Rev. Prof. Sarpong who is also the Head Pastor of Word Alive Revival Church and a resource person of the programme said misreading led to misinterpretation, saying, “This is because text messaging cannot accurately convey tone, emotion, facial expressions, gestures, body language, eye contact, oral speech, or face-to-face conversation. He said, “Misreading the Bible has distorted our theology, our faith, and our understanding of the Christian God. Now is the time for serious studies.”
Citing example, he stated that, “The baptismal formula is one area that proves the lack of knowledge of the Hebrew language. Persons were baptized at first in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38, 10:48) or in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:16, 19:5). “The Catholic Encyclopedia, for example, states that ‘The baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by the Catholic Church in the second century. This is due to the misunderstanding of the Hebrew HA SHEM (The Name).”
“Dear one, be impressed with the realization that scriptural authority has always been at the center of controversies throughout the history of the church. Anyone wishing more knowledge about the challenge confronting the church, especially in the context misreading of the Bible, will have to be schooled,” he stated. He appealed to churches to sponsor their members to enroll at the Word Alive Bible College to study the Hebrew and Greek languages to enhance their understanding and the interpretation of the original message of God.
“Languages grow; God’s Word does not grow. Languages change, God’s Word does not change,” Rev. Prof Sarpong said. Apostle Dr Atta Frimpong Blessing, Chairman of the occasion in a welcoming address said as Christians they have enormous task in impacting the citizenry with religious education so they support in the nation building efforts.
Source: GNA
