I am thrilled to introduce an exciting new project that I have been quietly working on for a few years now: The Free Grace Translation (FGT). My long-term goal is to translate the entire Bible into modern-day English from an explicitly Free Grace perspective.
The Textual Strategy: Navigating the Base Text
For the New Testament, I am working directly from the Textus Receptus (TR) as my base Greek text. I want to be entirely transparent about why I chose it. I am not "KJV-Only," nor do I believe the Textus Receptus is the flawless, preferred text of the New Testament—it contains a thousand years of scribal additions when compared to the earliest available manuscripts.
Rather, my choice is strategic. I want to completely remove textual manuscript debates as a reason for someone to reject this translation. By translating directly from the TR—the very text beloved by "KJV-Only" proponents—I effectively neutralize that argument.
Furthermore, this project will demonstrate that the King James Version itself is often inaccurate when compared to its own underlying Greek. In doing so, it will highlight the superiority of the Free Grace Translation in terms of sheer faithfulness to the Greek text.
The Roadmap: A Free Grace "Diatessaron"
This translation project is a labor of love and a lifelong commitment. I plan to labor over these texts as long as the Lord tarries and gives me the breath to do so.
My current focus is finishing the Gospel of John, after which I intend to translate the remaining Gospels. The Greek grammar and syntax of the Gospels is generally more accessible than other New Testament books (with the exception of Luke), which will allow the initial phase of the translation to progress more rapidly.
My vision is that if the four Gospels are all I am able to complete before the Lord returns or takes me home, it will stand as a modern, Free Grace equivalent to Tatian's Diatessaron—not as a blended harmony, but as a dedicated, standalone translation of the fourfold Gospel witness.
Following the Gospels, the roadmap will take us through the Acts of the Apostles, Romans, and the remainder of the New Testament.
The Old Testament: Embracing the Greek Septuagint
For the Old Testament, my plan is to translate from the Greek Septuagint (LXX), the historic 3rd-to-2nd century BC Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures.
By utilizing the LXX, my work will remain anchored entirely in the Greek language, where my academic passion lies. Without taking anything away from the rich Hebrew text, we must remember that the Septuagint was the Bible quoted heavily by Jesus and the Apostles. If it was good enough for them, it is good enough for us!
Finis Coronat Opus (The Finish Crowns the Work)
I pray that the Lord will continue to bless this immense undertaking and grant me the physical and spiritual strength to see it through. Yet, even if I do not personally cross the ultimate finish line, I have full faith that the Lord will raise up others to complete the task, because "this work was wrought of our God" (Nehemiah 6:16).
I will catalog and link to each chapter of the translation on this hub page as it is completed. You can view the current progress tracker below. "Let us not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we will reap if we faint not." Galatians 6:9.
The Gospel of John
Further chapters will be linked here as the work continues. Soli Deo Gloria.
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