"In Romans 8:1 where the original says "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus..." the Society has deleted the word "now". This omission is necessary to support the belief that there is no assurance of salvation right now for any Jehovah's Witness."One author, Robert Bowman, has:
"The NWT also omits key words on occasion, when retaining them in the text would seem to contradict JW doctrine. The most glaring example is Romans 8:1, "Therefore those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation," which omits the word "now." This omission is evidently motivated by the fact that JWs do not believe anyone can claim to be free of condemnation now."Reply: Does the original though, according to the first accusation, really say, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus..."?
[The New World Translation On Trial Part Two in a Four-part Series on JWs and the Bible from the Christian Research Journal, Fall, 1989, page 28. The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is Elliot Miller.]
In Brown & Comfort's Interlinear, once you remove the words added in the brackets for clarification, reads, when utilizing their numbering system, as follows:
"NOW THEN NO CONDEMNATION TO THE ONES IN CHRIST JESUS." [UBS4 Greek Text]
The accompanying translation (NRSV) reads,
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
The accuser above has confused a newer english translation, the New Revised Standard Version 1989 for the original Greek.
When it comes to translating the Greek word in question, NUN, the NWT is actually closer to the Greek. The NWT uses just ONE word to translate NUN, while the NRSV needs FOUR english words to translate this one Greek word, and yet, only the NWT is singled out as tampering with the text.
The NWT has not DELETED the word "now," it was simply translated as "therefore."
Another way to translate NUN would be to render it as "So" or "Thus."
Consider:
(God's Word Bible) So those who are believers in Christ Jesus can no longer be condemned. (New Jerusalem Bible) Thus, condemnation will never come to those who are in Christ Jesus,Can we now rightly accuse the above translators of being motivated by the fact that they also do not believe anyone can claim to be free of condemnation now? Or is that the above accusers simply are ignorant of the issues involved?
(New Living Translation) So now there is no condemnation for those
who belong to Christ Jesus.
(Bible in Basic English) For this cause those who are in Christ Jesus will not be judged as sinners.
(Jerusalem Bible) "The reason, therefore, why those who are in Christ Jesus are not condemned."
(C.B. Williams) So then there is no condemnation at all for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.
(Heinz Cassirer's New Covenant) Well then, no sentence of condemnation stands against those who are in union with Christ Jesus."
(Faithful NT) [There is] therefore no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus.
(New English Bible) The conclusion of the matter is this: there is no condemnation for those who are united with Christ."
(21st Century NT) So then there can be no condemnation of those who are united with Christ Jesus.
(Murdoch) There is therefore no condemnation, to them who, in Jesus Messiah, walk not after the flesh.
(Goodspeed) So there is no condemnation any more for those who are in union with Christ Jesus.
(Jewish NT) Therefore, there is no longer any condemnation awaiting those who are in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
(Unvarnished NT) Now then, no condemnation awaits those in union Christ Jesus.
(C.K. Williams) There is now, therefore, no sentence of 'Guilty' for those that are in Christ Jesus.
(J.W.C. Wand) For those who are in Christ there is no condemnation.
(Lattimore) Thus there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
According to the BAGD, NUN, can act to describe something, "as far as the present situation is compared" or as "for now I tell you this."
We see this elsewhere, as at Acts 4:29; 20:32; 27:22.
The BAG 1957 edition, translates the occurence of NUN at Romans 8:1 as "'so' or 'thus now'"
Consider also the different words that Abbott-Smith's Lexicon allows for NUN: "Now, presently...presently, forthwith, ...now, therefore, now, however, as it is..."
Other examples are as follows:
"But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do." John 8:40 NASB, NJB, NIV ("in fact" Weymouth)
"As it is, My kingdom does not have its origin here." John 18:36 HCSB, NWT, NASB, NJB, NRSV ("as a matter of fact" Weymouth)
"Therefore remain in him now, children, so that when he appears we may be fearless, and not shrink from him in shame at his coming." 1 John 2:28 New Jerusalem Bible
"And so I ask you, dear Lady: let us all love one another. This is no new command I am writing you; it is the command which we have had from the beginning." 2 John 5 TEV
"Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy." 1 Cor. 7:14 NRSV, RSV, ESV, TEV, NIV "in fact" NJB; "in reality" Weymouth.
"But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose." 1 Cor. 12:18 NRSV, RSV, ESV, TEV, NJB, ("in fact" NIV; "as a matter of fact" Weymouth)
"As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them." Hebrews 2:8 NRSV, HCSB, RSV
Should a translation read exactly as an interlinear?
"All too often translators turn to an interlinear edition as the final word. They consider it the last appeal because the Greek or Hebrew words are right there on the page before them. They do not realize that such a volume provides answers which are too simple for some very complex problems. In interlinear versions textual problems disappear and problems of interpretation are literally "glossed over". In addition, they provide absolutely no real help in the important area of meaningful translation. An interlinear version is a tool. Like any tool, it can be misused. It can even be a dangerous instrument if the user does not know how to use it. It is a tool of limited value, and it is only as good as the materials that went into its making."
The Use and Limitations of Interlinear Editions by Dr. John Ellington, Bible Translator, April 1980
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