Rating: 
Summary: Does it really say that?-YEP it does
Review: I have been reading the Bible all my life, started with the KJV in first grade in 1974 and on with the Living Bible and the Good News and NIV and NASB and the Clear Word and the RSV and the SV and so forth, in all that I never really got Paul and if nothing else the Message gave me an understanding and appreciation for Paul that I am happy to have. It is a good read, very approachable. I often read a phrase and say to myself "I better check the NIV and see if it really says that, and every time its there, just the archaic language kept me from seeing it before.A side note to Tiaclare If you had done a in context quote of the Lord's prayer in the Message it reads just fine. Matthew 6:9 and onward says "Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best-as above, so below..." no implication of man's action only that of our Father.
Rating:
Summary: Critic of the Message?? Translation wrong??
Review: Do you have to criticize this book because the translation is off? Is the translation really wrong?? Have you ever learned another language fluently? or even intermediately? The Message still contains God's Word!! You can not translate word for word and this book does an excellent job of getting the basic message across in a way that is so easy to read. If you have ever learned another language before, you would realize that your apparent mistranslation still has the same message. There are plenty of ways to translate a phrase or any number of ideas in different ways. Handgestures, pictures, physical objects, body language... these all can be ways to communicate a message. As long as it has the basics of the idea it is still good. It brings to life your favorite passages in a new light. Even if you consider it a rough translation it's still the same message. Christ is the only way. From the Message: John 14:6 "Jesus said, 'I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You've even seen him!" God uses all sorts of ways to communicate his message to us daily. You can't help but look up at the sky and know that there's something. You should reconsider the Great Pyramid.
Look up Isaiah 19:19-20 "In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord at it's border." The gospel story is told in the Great Pyramid... it's the altar to the Lord in the center and on the border of Egypt. Check it out!
www.greatpyramid.org/
Issac Newton believed it was divinely made! God's message is shared in all sorts of ways!
The original story of the stars in the sky was the Gospel until Satan distorted it! The Virgin gives birth to Leo the Lion.. and all the way Draco the Dragon tries to destroy everything! I think the Message is a great tool to use. I love it! I know spanish and Japanese. I can attest to this and recognize that most of the mistranslations posted still contain the message of the Bible.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Lord, for The Message
Review: For 35 years, as a Christian, I have soaked in, and absorbed The Word of God from King James to New American, so, I guess one could say I have a loving knowledge of "The Bible". This said, I recommend to anyone, the content of The Message. Personally, I don't care if this be the only translation that anyone ever picks up. If the Spirit of God uses it to convey one bit of Truth to your soul and spirit, then, hallelujah! Receive it and keep going. God has used it so often in my personal quiet time, to clarify and shed new Light on the Truth of a long-loved passage, that I can only express joy that it has come to us in these days that can otherwise look so dark. Read The Message. In my opinion, it's The Word.
Rating:
Summary: Refresh your Bible reading
Review: If you are looking to add something fresh and new to your bible reading, I suggest The Message Bible. It was translated from the original languages into contemporary language. It really does read like a story, except the book of Numbers. But the book of Numbers is dry in any translation. I don't recommend this for deep Bible study but it will bring a freshness to your reading and often help you better understand a passage. The only complaint I have about this Bible is that it is not broken into verses. I understand that they now I have a new edition broken into verses but still in paragraph form like a "regular" book. I look forward to reading that version also. So check out the Message today and get lost in the rich stories, history and heritage of the Biblical times.
Rating: 
Summary: Danger! The Message is a Mystic Paraphrase
Review: This book is advertised as being written in today's English, so that the common person can understand it. However it is a man-centered message. Matt.6:10
KJV - Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Message - Set the world right; do what's best - as above, so below. What happened to God's Will? This is man setting the world right, doing what's best. The Lord Jesus Christ has been replaced by Master Jesus in the Message. Master is an occultic term New Age designation of Jesus as an Ascended Master. Acts 16:31
KJV: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Message: They said, "Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you'll live as you were meant to live--and everyone in your house included!" The above paraphrase also changed the message of salvation into living your life, actually deleted any reference to salvation. Acts 20:21
KJV: Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Message: urging Jews and Greeks alike to a radical life-change before God and an equally radical trust in our Master Jesus. Faith is changed to "radical trust", and repentance toward God is removed in favor of a "radical life-change". Christ's work is changed into the power of "believing in yourself". Matthew 9:29
KJB - Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
Message - He touched their eyes and said, "BECOME WHAT YOU BELIEVE." Check it out for yourself, you don't need to buy this book, just go to the online Bible Gateway ..., and you'll easily find dozens of places where the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, of the finished work of Jesus Christ, and the holiness of God has been diluted into a soupy message of mystic works, radical life changes, and even a bath. See Titus 3:5 where the washing of regeneration is changed to a good bath. Don't be fooled by this paraphrase. The Holy Spirit will illuminate the scriptures for you, don't let Eugene Peterson or anyone else take the place of the Holy Spirit. Please stick to an orthodox Textus Receptus (Received Text) translation like the King James Version.
Rating: 
Summary: Would Jesus read this?
Review: This book was very well written- but it did not belong in the Bible section of the book store. Instead it should have been called: The Message- an INTERPRETATION. This was a rather gross interpretation of the teaching of the most famous man in history and the most famous book ever written. It was a very interesting read (if read as an interpretation) for someone who is very secure with what they believe but does not take the place of the original scripture for those seeking truth. I understand that my beliefs are quite different than many others but to take the book that many people base the way they live their lives is a very dangerous game to play. A book worth reading, not a book worth calling a bible.
Rating:
Summary: This reading Bible is simply the best!
Review: This is a must-get for everyone! I love this Bible; I use it to read the Bible through in a year!
Rating: 
Summary: My Favorite!!!
Review: I love this translation so very much. There are not words to describe how much I enjoy The MESSAGE but I do miss the numbered verses for personal study. I hope one day there will be one that comes out with numbered verses. When there is I am sure they will FLY off the shelves.
Rating: 
Summary: The Message didn't survive the translation
Review: While I love reading The Message, it didn't survive the conversion to a MS Reader format book. Unlike my NASV bible, I can only select down to the Book level in the contents, so when I select Psalms, I then have to forward through 100 pages to get to the right chapter of Psalms. Also, the individual verser numbers aren't shown. While the book itself is wonderful, its missing verse numbers make it useless for finding specific scriptures.
Rating:
Summary: The greatest Book ever written!!!!
Review: This Bible is the best I have ever read. It is altogether precious and absolutely wonderful. The secret is out and God has blessed us with the purest form of exuberant and sublime linguistic beauty. The greatest text written the way it has to be written. I have read KJV, NIV, NLT, and Amplified but they are not in the same class for readability and profundity. No Christian should go through this life without owning and reading (daily) this edition. If you love God's Word then you must have this Book.
"" So here's what I want you to do, God helping you:
Take your everyday, ordinary life--
your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--
and place it before God as an offering.
Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.
Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.
Instead, fix your attention on God.
You'll be changed from the inside out.
Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.
Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity,
God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. ""
Romans 12:1,2...........
""God--you're my God! I can't get enough of you!
I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts.
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.
I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
I smack my lips. It's time to shout praises!
If I'm sleepless at midnight,
I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you've always stood up for me,
I'm free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
and you hold me steady as a post.""
Psalm 63:1-8
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