Do Not Pass Judgment on One Another
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14: 1-4 (2001:English Standard Version)
Recently, In a discussion on 1 Peter 4:8, The version I had in hand used the word 'forgive' where the word 'cover' appears in most versions. I spoke up and said 'forgive' was a long way from 'cover' and seemed to be out of place. However, the version I was reading from is written on 3rd grade level, so it uses the simpler translation where possible.
I spent the week on the Greek, and concluded that the word forgive in the version I had used was indeed an interpretation and not a translation. While today it is easy to equate the covering of sins with forgiving sins, I'm not so sure that the words are synonyms, especially here where there isn't a diety involved with the covering.
The following is my interpretation, and only mine. My whole life I've been pretty forgetful. I've enjoyed lots of neat toys, and most of them go missing. On at least some occasions, I'm fairly sure my forgetfulness was in fact someone else's greed or need for my possession, not my own faulty circuitry. However, I try my best to say in any case where the object missing is a want not a need that someone else must have needed it more, so I've given it away. I maintain the view that I've blessed someone and at the same time helped them on their way. Eventually, they will, in turn, bless someone else. It would be just as easy to long for my lost toy, and blame others with words like thief and stolen, but then I'm not living within the kingdom, and certainly not covering whoever is responsible. In many sins, guilt involves both the victim and the perpetrator. In many cases of property transfer, there is no sin without an accusation. In this sense 'covering' isn't saying "you stole, from me, but I forgive you", but rather saying "If you needed it, it was given to me to pass on to you."
The lesson of covering by lack of accusation was clear and present and needed for me in my life. All of that because back in 1983, some guy picked 'forgive' instead of 'cover' as a word that a 3rd grader or English-second reader would most likely get the best in this specific verse. I believe strongly that you learn more about what's right with the bible by studying multiple versions and focusing on the differences.
Back to 1 Peter 4:8 ... The next week, one of my co-students approached me with internet blogs on what was wrong with the version I quoted from. (He started by saying he didn't have access to the version.) During the discussion it was clear that his concern was truly that of a shepherd and whether I'm drawn into a corrupt version or not, but it still seems a little shaky to me to pass judgement based on heresay. It seems shaky to me to pass judgement at all, but I respect those who are called to shepherd. There is a clear mandate to correct those who are astray. However, my personal opinion is that leading by correct example is far more effective than finding fault with everything you don't understand.
