Definite Article Theology: The Way

And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: 17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us THE WAY OF SALVATION. 18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and SAID TO THE SPIRIT, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. (Acts 16, KJV)

The KJV and most modern translations get this verse wrong.

They have translated these verses to say that a demon possessed damsel with a spirit of divination was following Paul around saying that they were showing THE way of salvation, when she really was telling people that they were proclaiming A way of salvation.

So Paul being grieved, was probably not grieved because she was following them around all day but because she was proclaiming the wrong thing, that is that their way was only A Way.

Failing to translate this verse properly results in a different meaning.

I did find among many wrong translations three translations that got it right.

The New English Bible, Youngs Literal Translation and the New Revised Version got it right.

"she having followed Paul and us, was crying, saying, `These men are servants of the Most High God, who declare to us A way of salvation;" (YLT)

We know that Paul was proclaiming The Way, but a demon possessed diviner is not going to help Paul with his narrow view on things.

The World and the New Age Movement only want us to proclaim Christ as one way among many ways.

They want us to be 'open and affirming' of all ways.

In the greek of this verse there is no definite article before Way, so therefore she was proclaiming a way but not The Way.

We are loving if we live and let live but as soon as we proclaim Christ as the only way then we will have opposition.

This is why Paul cast the demon out of her.

I find it interesting that so many translators got this verse wrong with such a basic thing.

Now lets go to another verse and it is what Jesus refers to himself as.

In the Greek of the following passage it is very enlightening.

Jesus saith unto him, I am THE WAY, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by ME. (John 14:6)

Greek is a very exact language and I believe that is why God chose Greek not Hebrew for the NT.

Ihsous, egw eimi h odos kai h aleeia kai h zwh, oudeis erketai pros ton patera ei mh di emou.

Jesus said: I, I am The way and The Truth and The Life, .........................no one comes to the Father except through ME

I couldn't find a way to get my english keyboard to place the accents above the greek words when needed. Also I couldn't get Theta where I wanted it.

First, the definite article (The) is before Way-odos, Truth-aletheia and life-zoe. The definite article above is h,

This means that Christ is not A way but The Way, The Truth and The Life. He shares his glory with no other, including Mary.

This passage in Greek is even more exact in what he meant.

The Greek words egw eimi are translated I, I am, which is him emphasizing himself. He didn't just say I am, He said, I, I am The Way.

egw- ego means I and eimi-amy means I am.

He doesn't stop there, The Greek word emou-emou is an emphasis on the word me. He could have said mou but instead he said emou.

To subvert this plain and emphatic meaning communicated clearly to us by Christ is tantamount to preaching another gospel and Paul the apostle pronounces eternal destruction-anathema on anyone that perverts the gospel of Christ.

"And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." (Acts 16)

Nothing about Buddha, works for salvation, Mohammed, Mary or Bahaullah in what Paul preached. Jesus Christ is The Way and The Only Way.

To ignore Christ's plain teaching in John is to discount the Greek, the definite article and Personal Pronouns.

Personal Pronouns are when He emphasizes Himself with, 'I' and 'Me'. If we were to ignore PERSONal Pronouns we could not communicate the most basic truths of scripture, which include the Trinity.

We couldn't even function in the real world anymore.

By Christ emphasizing himself he is discounting everyone else. When I emphasize me, it means me, not my mother.

So any other message that includes anything or anyone that the Apostle Paul and Christ didn't include is another gospel.

Paul says: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the GRACE OF CHRIST unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach ANY OTHER GOSPEL unto you THAN THAT WHICH WE HAVE PREACHED UNTO YOU, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1)

Notice that Paul defines ANOTHER GOSPEL as any gospel other THAN THAT WHICH WE (Paul and his Associates at the time) PREACHED UNTO YOU (The people of his day)

This means that all we have to do is look at what Paul preached and compare it to any other message, including messages that ADD to what Paul preached.

Did Paul include Buddha, Mohammed, Mary, Works for salvation in his message? Of course not and not even once.

So any addition to his message is ANOTHER GOSPEL. Any message that makes JESUS A Way but not The Way is another Gospel.

This is why a message of Mary as coredemptrix, advocate, mediator. or assisting in salvation (967-969-Catholic Catechism) Purgatory, penance, or any other Catholic invention over the years automatically gets Pauls condemnation and no matter how many Anathema's the Catholic Council of Trent pronounces on those that believe the apostle Paul's message I will choose Paul's words over any Buddhist, Islamic, Catholic, Mormon teaching any day.

Jesus will not and did not share His glory with another human, not even with Mary.

SIXTH SESSION, CANONS CONCERNING JUSTIFICATION: "If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA" (Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 12).

SIXTH SESSION, CANONS CONCERNING JUSTIFICATION: "If anyone says that the justice received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works, but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of its increase, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA" (Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 24).

SIXTH SESSION, CANONS CONCERNING JUSTIFICATION: "If anyone says that the Catholic doctrine of justification as set forth by the holy council in the present decree, derogates in some respect from the glory of God or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, and does not rather illustrate the truth of our faith and no less the glory of God and of Christ Jesus, LET HIM BE ANATHEMA" (Canons Concerning Justification, Canon 33).

So make your choice today. Are you going to believe these additions to the gospel of Christ, which is another gospel or are you going to believe 'the gospel that Paul preached'

BJ Maxwell