Unity

Jesus said: "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, 
that they may be one, even as we are one." (John 17:11b).

The Father and the Son are one. Jesus thinks like God the Father in everything.
If we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father (John 14:9–11),
see The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity.

Jesus said: "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me,
and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe
that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them,
that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, 
that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know
that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me." (John 17:20–23). 

See also Jesus Farewell Prayer in Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

That we as Christians are one is important for several reasons (Eph 4:3):

• So the people in the world understand that God the Father has sent Jesus to Earth to give his life for the people, which Jesus did of his free will.
• That God the Father loves believers in the same selfless way
  that he loves Jesus. We know that God the Father loves Jesus very much,
  but he also loves believers in the same way (John 17:23).

It's a good and blessing thing when there is unity (Psalm 133). One of the ways
to receive blessings in the home and marriage is to stay united. Jesus said: "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand." (Mat 12:25). One reason we don't have unity is because of pride.

Division and disunity cause serious problems. The Christians in Corinth 
struggled with disunity (1 Cor 1:10–13), see The Book of Corinthians.

Jesus said: "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those
in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather,
let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader
as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one
who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves." (Luke 22:24-27). See Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

We must not exercise lordship over each other. This goes against hierarchical systems with a strong charismatic leader who decides what everyone can think,
see the end part of The Book of John. We should instead serve each other.
See also the end part in Dealing With Sin in the Church.

If someone is further down in a hierarchical system and expresses a dissenting
or different opinion, it may be that someone who feels higher up in that hierarchical system, offends that person and publicly reprimands that person, regardless of whether that person is right or wrong. If the person then adapts to what the leader thinks, unity can be maintained. If the person doesn't do so, the person may be asked to apply to another group that better aligns with the person's view.
But this handling of a person isn't biblical. It's pride. "For though the Lord is high,
he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar." (Psalm 138:6).
See examples of good and bad leadership at the end of The Book of John.

Apostle Paul wrote: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal 3:26–29). 
See time 30:51–34:00 in Acts 11 • A Growing and Flourishing Church.

The slave isn't less worthy of God just because he is a slave. The ranking
that people do in a group isn't from God. Showing partiality is a sin (James 2:9), see The Book of Malachi. See more at time 6:17–13:28 in James 2 (Part 1) :1-13.

Apostle Paul wrote: 

• "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves."
  (Rom 12:9–10), see The Golden Rule in The Sermon on the Mount.
• "To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people." (James 4:11–12, 5:9, Titus 3:2),
  see Do not judge others in The Sermon on the Mount.
• "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, 
  any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 
  complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant 
  than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Phil 2:1–4). 

We need to humble ourselves before each other and put others higher than ourselves, see 3) Blessed are the meek in The Sermon on the Mount. We
shouldn't seek conflict or take positions at the expense of other individuals
(James 4:1, Rom 7:21–23). Jesus rejoices when we live according to this. 
This can be difficult to do with a person considered lower in the social ranking. 

Paul wrote:

• "For as in one body we have many members, and the members 
  do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are 
  one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." 
  (Rom 12:4–5).
• "The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable 
  we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, 
  but that the members may have the same care for one another."
  (1 Cor 12:22–25).
• "For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 
  God chose what is low and despised in the world, 
  even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 
  so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." 
  (1 Cor 1:26–29).
  
• "In that same hour he (Jesus) rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said: 
  'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and Earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.'" 
  (Luke 10:21).

See time 17:37–23:57 in Luke 10 (Part 2) :17-24 • Joy, Rejoicing and Blessing.

We as Christians are all members of the same body. For the body to function optimally, the various members need to work together and not fight with each other. The limbs which seem to be the weakest are the more necessary. 

To insult these members when they express an opinion just because they are perceived as the weakest or lowest in the social hierarchy is completely wrong according to the Bible and hurts the body of Christ (Proverbs 18:19).

How a group should work to fulfill this:

• There should be no social ranking in the group. 
  This doesn't prevent different functions in the group, and if necessary 
  to have a biblical leadership, see The Book of Timothy.
• We should submit to one another and not rule over one another.
• We must respect each other and not automatically dismiss the arguments of others, just because we perceive them as lower in the social hierarchy.
• We must treat everyone equally. We should treat other people 
  as we want to be treated ourselves and as we treat our closest friends.
• We must show each other empathy and love (1 Cor 16:14, 2 Thess 1:3),
  see Agape Love at the end of Spiritual Gifts.

Many people follow strong charismatic leaders, which can work effectively
as long as everyone thinks like these leaders and they follow God. However,
I think it's important to let people think for themselves in order to become 
mature Christians, combined with giving Bible-based teaching that can be tested against God's Word in the Bible, see the last part of The Book of John.

Differences of opinion can arise between Christians that aren't related to differences in theology. The reasons for this type of disagreements may be due to different personalities or personal experiences. Paul and Barnabas couldn't agree on whether to take John Mark with them for their second missionary journey. Mark had left them and returned to Jerusalem during their first Missionary Journey. Barnabas wanted to bring him because he wanted to give him a second chance. Paul didn't because he saw this journey as too important to be compromised by bringing Mark with them.
They had a sharp disagreement on this which resulted in them not being able 
to resolve this issue and hence they split up. Barnabas took Mark with him 
and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas for his second missionary journey.
(Acts 15:36–40). Paul later wrote about John Mark and everything he had to say about him was very good (2 Tim 4:11, Col 4:10). Their problem was solved.

What to do when believers disagree:

• We must understand that there will be disagreements. 
  But we shouldn't accept people who cause division and create obstacles contrary to central biblical doctrines (Rom 16:17–18). 
• Check our attitudes.
  We should do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit (Phil 2:3–4).
  We should forgive as the Lord forgave us (Col 3:13),
  see Forgive and You will Be Forgiven.
• Understand the dynamics.
  The situation between Paul and Barnabas was a matter of opinion and  became a matter of separation. If it's not a scriptural, legal, or moral issue, it's probably a matter of opinion. In this case, neither was subordinate 
  to the other. If it's a matter of opinion and we have leaders, we should obey and submit to them (Heb 13:17). This doesn't apply if they do something unscriptural, illegal or immoral. We obey Christ first.
• Respond appropriately.
  In this case, Paul and Barnabas didn't respond appropriately to each other because there was a sharp disagreement. We must always show respect 
  of each other even when when we have different opinions.
• Seek forgiveness where needed. 
  If we say things or do things that hurt people, 
  we should ask them for forgiveness.
• Separation should be a last resort (1 Cor 1:10). 
  But if two persons have different callings, 
  it can be good to not work together, see time 18:42–24:38 
  in Acts 15 (Part 2) 36-41 • The Collision of Opposing Ideas.

Much teaching is needed in the congregations about how we should act towards each other and how we should treat each other, in order to achieve unity in a biblical way
(Rom 12:16a, 18, 15:5–6), see these videos:

• Time 6:46–9:13 in 1 Peter 3 (Part 2) :8-22.
• Time 6:01–8:32 in Bible Q&A • Episode 39.

In the political world, I believe that democratic governance is the best way to govern a country, at least in countries with a high Christian population. It's no coincidence that democracy has emerged in countries with high Christian values. I believe
that the judgment system in the Old Testament was a good way to rule Israel,
although it wasn't perfect (Judges 2:18–19), see The Book of Judges.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity

God is eternal according to the Bible (Gen (1 Mos) 21:33, 1 Chronicles 16:36, 29:10, Nehemiah 9:5, Psalm 10:16, 41:13 (14 in some translations), 90:2, 93:2, 106:48,

Isa 40:28, Rom 16:26). God has always existed and will always exist. God the Father is the source of The Trinity (1 Cor 8:6a). He is neither created nor born, but eternal.

Since Jesus is a person in The Trinity, he can't be a created being as man is 
and the angels are, he must also be eternal. Jesus is the Son of God, which means that the origin of Jesus when he was born as man on Earth is the Father (Heb 1:3a). 

When the Bible says that Jesus is the firstborn (Col 1:15b, Rom 8:29, Heb 1:6a),
it doesn't mean that Jesus is God the Father's first creation. In ancient cultures, 
the firstborn son received a double portion of his father's inheritance.
Over the years, the term firstborn in the Bible began not so much to mean
the first in birth, but began to speak about preeminence and importance.
It started to become a quality word. It's used in the Bible where it doesn't literally speak of a firstborn child, but of first in rank. An example is when God
calls David firstborn, meaning the highest of the kings on Earth (Psalm 89:20, 27 (21, 28 in some translations)). God even calls Israel his firstborn son 
(Exo (2 Mos) 4:22–23). This is how the word firstborn is used
when speaking of Jesus as the highest in rank.

Firstborn also means that Jesus would be the first to rise from the dead
with a resurrection body (Acts 26:23, Rev 1:5a, Col 1:18, 1 Cor 15:20–23),
see Jesus appeared in his resurrected body in The Resurrection of Jesus.

It says: "I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, 'You are my Son; 
today I have begotten you.'" (Psalm 2:7, Acts 13:32–33, Heb 1:4–6).
It's Jesus who quotes God the Father in Psalm 2:7. The decree is that Jesus is
the Son of God and that he was begotten on a specific day (2 Sam 7:13b–14a),
see time 15:52–20:54 in Hebrews 1 (Part 2) :4-14 • The Son Superior to the Angels.
This means that Jesus became the begotten of the Father at a point in time.
Before that, Jesus was the Word: "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus),

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1). John says:
"And the Word (Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14a).
It was at a point in time when the Holy Spirit moved upon Mary and she conceived through him, and gave birth to Jesus Christ. The word begotten refers only
to the incarnation. It literally means something of the same nature or substance.
In other words, the Son of Man (Jesus) is of exactly the same divinity
as God the Father. This word means that Jesus is equal with God the Father,
see time 43:42–45:15 in John 1 (Part 2) :6-18 • The Word Became flesh
and Dwelt among Us. See also General in The Book of Hebrews.

If comparing the Father with the sun, then Jesus is the rays of light
that come from the sun. The sun produces the light rays, which have been around
as long as the sun. Just as the Father is eternal, Jesus is eternal,
and the origin of Jesus is the Father. If a river is compared to the Father,
then the streams of water are Jesus. The river produces water currents,
which have existed as long as the river has existed.
(2 Thess 1:1–2, 12, Heb 1:3a, Isa 48:11b, Num (4 Mos) 23:19).

A distinction can be made between the following:

1. Nature
2. Personal characteristics
3. Order

See this and Phil 2:5–8 explained at time 7:56–12:30 in

John 5 (Part 2) v19–47 • That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.

Jesus belongs to the same divine nature as God the Father, which means 
that he doesn't have a lower divine nature than the Father has. It can be compared to the fact that all people, women and men, belong to the same human nature, 
that is, all people are on the same level of nature, according to God.

The Father and Jesus have different personal characteristics, they are different
persons in the Godhead. For example, the Father gave birth to Jesus on Earth. 
It doesn't mean that Jesus is less divine than the Father; they have the same 
divine nature. The Father couldn't be born as a man on Earth and die on the cross, because the Father is the original source not only of the universe but of The Trinity. Only Jesus could do that. Thus, the Father is different from Jesus if looking at personal attributes, but not if looking at nature (deity). The first people on Earth, Adam and Eve, were similar in nature as humans, but had different personal characteristics. Eve's origin was Adam, she was created from Adam's rib. 
Eve could bear children, something Adam couldn't.

The Father is greater than Jesus if you look at the order. It can be compared
to Adam who was created before Eve and had the main responsibility for

the family (1 Cor 11:3). The Father has authority over Jesus. Jesus makes the will
of the Father and sits on the right side of the Father. The fact that there is
an order of authority between the Father and Jesus doesn't mean that the divinity

of Jesus is lower than that the Father's. The fact that the man has the main

responsibility in the family doesn't mean that the woman has a lower human

dignity than the man. Nations often have people in leading positions of authority,

companies have people in leading positions of authority, this for nations and

companies to work better. It doesn't mean that they have a greater human

dignity before God than other people. Likewise, there is an order in the Godhead

(also called The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).

Jesus experienced subordination to God the Father when he lived
as a man on Earth, even though he was, and still is, fully God eternally.
Jesus will always be in that position forever. Jesus as God the Son 
will be subordinated God the Father forever. (1 Cor 15:24–28). It doesn't mean
that Jesus will be inferior to God the Father. It's a choice of the will.

When God is mentioned in the New Testament, it's usually the Father that is meant.

But John 1:1 mentions Jesus as God. What is meant here is that Jesus 
was with God the Father and that Jesus has the same divine nature as the Father.

The following Bible verses show the deity of Jesus, that Jesus has the same divine nature as God the Father, see Definition of the Trinity in The Trinity.

• John 10:30: Jesus and the Father are one,
  see time 20:38–23:22 in Opposed by Stoning - John 10:22-42.
• John 17:21: The Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father.
• Col 2:9: All the fullness of the Godhead is in Jesus.

Differences in personal attributes and order between the Father and the Son:

• Mark 13:32: The Father has knowledge of things that Jesus doesn't have.
• John 1:18, Exo (2 Mos) 33:20: No one has seen the Father.
• John 5:19–20, 6:38, 8:28–29, 12:49–50, 14:31a: Jesus does the will 
  of the Father, see time 4:42–6:12 in Opposed by Unbelief - John 5:19-47.
• Col 1:15a, Heb 1:3a, John 14:9: Jesus is the image of the Father.
  It means that Jesus is the person of God that we can see, 
  the representation of God to mortal eyes. 
  But he is more than a representation, he is the exact likeness. 
  See time 8:42–11:50 in Opposed by Unbelief - John 5:19-47.
• Heb 1:1–9, John 20:17: The Father is the God of Jesus.
  Jesus has received his authority from the Father ⑴.
• John 14:28b, Mat 20:23: The Father is greater than Jesus, see the video:
  Why did Jesus say, “The Father is greater than I” in John 14:28?
• Acts 3:13a, 4:27a: Jesus sees himself as a servant, 
  see Who is the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?
• 1 Cor 11:3, 15:24–28: Jesus submits to the Father.

⑴ That Jesus refers to the Father as his God has to do with the order
between the Father and Jesus. Jesus and the Father are of the same divine nature.

See the hierarchy in The Trinity explained
at time 24:25–26:08 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │February 2024.

See also Some stories in the Gospels at the end of The Four Gospels.

Which Version of the Old Testament did Jesus Use?

Old Testament (OT) translations are based on one 
of the following three groups of basic texts, which differ from each other:

1. Masoretic Text
2. Samaritan Pentateuch
3. Septuagint

There are also variations within the groups that have increased over time.
Most of the variations are negligible, and none affects salvation 
or the Christian faith, but the variations are there. The Christian doctrines 
aren't affected by the variations within or between the groups.

The Masoretic Text is written in Hebrew and Aramaic. It was primarily copied 
by a group of Jews sometime between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. 
The oldest known complete copy is the Leningrad Codex, copied about 1008 AD. 
It's not the original text of the Hebrew Bible, as it has never been found. 
It's based on an earlier Proto-Masoretic Text (proto = what was before), 
which existed before the birth of Jesus. The Masoretic Text was used as the basis for the translation of the OT into Protestant Bibles such as the King James Version (KJV) and the American Standard Version (ASV), and for almost every English translation since then. The Vulgate was revised in the light of the Masoretic Text 
in the 16th century, and (after 1943) for some versions of Catholic Bibles 
that replaced the Vulgate translation. However, note that for some of the verses,
these Bible translations also use the Septuagint translation. 

There is also a Syriac (Peshitta) translation, the Samaritan Pentateuch.
It contains the Tora (Pentateuch or Five Books of Moses), that is, the books: 
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
It's written in Samaritan and was used by the Samaritans during the time of Jesus.

The Septuagint is a Greek translation, about 1000 years older than the 
Masoretic Text. It was translated into Greek based on proto-Hebrew texts around 250 BC, by ​​about 70 (probably 72) Jewish scholars, and was used 
in the synagogues around the world, see the video The Septuagint (LXX).

The Septuagint also includes the Apocrypha, which aren't part of the OT
used by protestant churches, and aren't covered by this article.
The Apocrypha shouldn't be part of the OT because its books were written apart
from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and contain contradictions to the Bible, see Misconceptions and Objections and time 4:14–6:15
in What BIBLE TRANSLATION should you READ as a CHRISTIAN?

The Septuagint is the version of the OT used by most Jews outside of Israel 
at the time of Jesus, because they didn't understand Hebrew but spoke Greek. Greek was then more widespread than it is today, which means that the Septuagint
could easily be used to spread the gospel. Both the OT and NT were then read 
in Greek. Where the NT quoted texts in the OT, you could see the same words in both places. Hebrew was a pretty dead language at that time. One might suspect that God prepared the coming of Jesus by having the Septuagint available in Greek, translated 250 years earlier. Note, however, that Paul could understand and speak Hebrew (or a Hebrew dialect (probably Aramaic)): Acts 26:14 says that 
Jesus spoke in Hebrew (probably Aramaic) to Paul when Jesus appeared to him, 
and Acts 22:2 says that Paul spoke in Hebrew (probably Aramaic). 

At the time of Jesus, the Septuagint was used by both Christians and Jews. 
By the first century, Christians were using the Septuagint as the OT. 
This led the Jewish leaders to decide that only the Proto-Masoretic Text should 
be used in the synagogues, largely because they didn't accept Jesus as Messiah. The Septuagint was no longer allowed to be used by the Jews. They accused the Septuagint of being a mistranslation based on an earlier Proto-Masoretic Text. That the quotations in the NT are better suited to the Septuagint 
than to the Masoretic Text was explained by the fact that it was easier to preach 
the gospel if one quoted from the version that was more widely used, which was the Septuagint. This isn't true. There were different proto-texts used when the Septuagint was prepared compared to when the Masoretic Text was prepared, 
as evidenced when proto-texts in the form of the Dead Sea Scrolls found 
1000 years later. However, this led to the Christians using the Septuagint 
and the Jews using the Proto-Masoretic Text in the second century. 
All Jewish versions of the Septuagint were destroyed. 
The Hebrew proto-texts for the Septuagint were long gone. 
Only Christian versions of the Septuagint survived. The only Hebrew 
proto-texts left in 250 AD were those that supported the Masoretic Text.

The variations in the copies based on the Septuagint increased as the Christians
weren't as careful in copying the texts as the Jews were in copying
the Proto-Masoretic Text. There were no commas, periods, or quotation marks
in the Greek and Hebrew texts which made the copying extra difficult. 
In the 5'th century there were even two subgroups of the Septuagint. 
The Jews then claimed to have the original Hebrew texts.

Around the year 382, ​​Pope Damasus I commissioned Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin, in order to replace the various existing versions into a unified text. 
Jerome decided to use the Proto-Masoretic Text. This Bible translation into Latin 
was named the Vulgate and became the official Bible of the Roman Catholic Church during the 16th century. The Septuagint thus disappeared from the Western church but remained in the Greek Orthodox Church. 

 

When Luther translated the Bible into German, he used the Masoretic Text. 
When translating King James Version (KJV), the Masoretic Text was used.

For information on the Septuagint background, see the video
Why You Should Use the Septuagint (time 3:45–16:20).

The Textus Receptus is a Greek text for the New Testament (NT). It's based on most
of the text findings that were then available, most with a Byzantine background of the 8th century. It came to be known as the Majority text. Even today, many Bibles
are translated based on Textus Receptus, such as the King James Version (KJV), 
New King James Version (NKJV), and in Swedish: Charles XII's Bible, "Reformationsbibeln", and King James Bible in Swedish. Swedish translations after Charles XII's Bible are, apart from the "Reformationsbibeln", not based
on Textus Receptus. This text isn't treated further because it only concerns the NT.

The Bible references below contain texts in the NT that refer to texts in the OT. The New King James Version (NKJV), which is based on the Masoretic Text, 
has been used in these references. They are examples of Bible passages in 
the NT and OT that disagree. They agree better if using the Septuagint (LXX). The Septuagint agrees better with the quotations in the NT than the Masoretic Text does. Note, however, that for some of the verses, the NKJV uses the Septuagint.

• Heb 1:6, Deuteronomy (5 Mos) 32:43
• Heb 10:5, Psalm 40:6 (7 in some translations) 
  (Psalms 39:7(6) in LXX (page 26))
• Heb 11:21, Gen (1 Mos) 47:31
• Heb 13:6, Psalm 118:6 (Psalms 117(118):6 in LXX (page 65))
• Rom 2:24, Isaiah 52:5
• Rom 9:27, Isaiah 10:22
• Rom 11:9, Psalm 69:22 (23 in some translations)
  (Psalms 68(69):23(22) in LXX (page 40))
• Rom 15:12, Isaiah 11:10
• Gal 3:13, Deuteronomy (5 Mos) 21:23
• James 4:6, Proverbs 3:34
• 1 Pet 2:22, Isaiah 53:9
• 1 Pet 4:18, Proverbs 11:31
• Acts 7:14, Gen (1 Mos) 46:27, Exodus (2 Mos) 1:5)
  (they were 75 persons not 70), see time 12:06–15:30 in
  Dead Sea Scrolls: The Shocking Evidence for the Septuagint!
• Acts 8:33, Isaiah 53:8
• Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1
• John 6:31, Psalm 78:24 (Psalms 77(78):24 in LXX (page 45))
• Mat 2:6, Micah 5:2 (Michaias 5:2 in LXX (page 22))
• Mat 4:4, Deuteronomy (5 Mos) 8:3
• Mat 12:20–21, Isaiah 42:3–4
• Mat 15:7–9, Isaiah 29:13
• Mat 21:16, Psalm 8:2 (3 in some translations) 
  (Psalms 8:3(2) in LXX (page 9))
• Mat 2:18, Jer 31:15 (Ieremias 38:15 in LXX (page 39))
• Mat 3:3, Isaiah 40:3 (it's not "a highway for our God")
• Mat 1:22–23, Isaiah 7:14 (Septuagint: "Virgin", 
  Masoretic Text: "Young woman"), see The Virgin Birth
• Mat 13:15, Isaiah 6:10 (compare with John 12:40 below)

See also the video Why You Should Use the Septuagint (time 16:21–37:05).

There are about 300 OT quotations in the NT. The NT refers to the Septuagint 
in 90% of all cases. 10% don't match the texts we currently have in that text 
but may have matched older versions of the Septuagint. Most of these 10% 
come from the Gospel of Matthew, which is believed to have been written in Aramaic and later translated into Greek. That may explain some 
of its quotations that don't fit with the Septuagint. However, most quotations 
in Matthew fit the Septuagint. In cases where the Septuagint and Masoretic Text
differ, the Septuagint matches with the NT in 80% of the cases. 

In the following texts, however, it fits better with the Masoretic Text:

• Mat 26:31, Zechariah 13:7 (In the Septuagint it says the shepherds,
  that is in the plural, probably due to a copying error)
• Mat 2:14–15, Hosea 11:1 (The Septuagint reads "out of Egypt 
  I have called his children" instead of "out of Egypt I called My son", perhaps due to a copying error)
• John 12:40, Isaiah 6:10 (compare with Mat 13:15 above)

Mat 13:5 refers to Isaiah 6:10 in the Septuagint while John 12:40
refers to Isaiah 6:10 in the Proto-Masoretic Text. This can be interpreted that 
in the time of the apostles, were both the Septuagint and the Proto-Masoretic Text available as the Word of God, although they contained differences.

Contradictions found in the Masoretic Text but not in the Septuagint:

• 2 Chron 22:1–2: Ahaziah became king in Judah when he was 22 years old
  (2 King 8:26) not 42. He became king when his father died at the age 
  of 40 (32 + 8 (2 Chron 21:20)) and then Ahaziah can't be 42 years old. 
  (In the Septuagint it says 20 instead of 22 (2 Chron 22:1–2) 
  which is closer but not completely correct.)
• 2 Sam 6:23, 2 Sam 21:8: It was the five sons of Merab 
  and not the five sons of Michal who were hanged. Michal had no child.
• 1 Sam 16:18–23, 17:55–58 (Saul knew who David’s father was.
  1 Sam 17:55–58 aren't found in some versions of the Septuagint).
• Exodus (2 Mos) 12:40: In the Septuagint: ”In Egypt and Canaan”. If you count the years in the Bible, you find that they were in Egypt for 215 years and that they were slaves for 112 ± 32 years. They arrived in Egypt
  about 1661 BC. The Exodus was about 1446 BC. Archaeological excavations support this. See How Long Were The Israelites In Egypt?
• Gen (1 Mos) 11:12–24: The Septuagint has 650 more years than
  the Masoretic Text. This means that Noah's son Shem died 500 years
  before Abraham was born, and didn't live at the same time as Abraham
  as the Masoretic Text says. This means that Shem didn't survive
  eight of the nine generations after him and can’t be Melchizedek.
  It also means that The Flood at the Time of Noah happened 
  several hundred years before the pyramids were built,
  and not that the pyramids were built near it. See:
• What is the Septuagint? How Does It Explain Archaeological Chronology? (time 7:05–12:47).
• Were the Pyramids Built Before the Flood? (time 5:56–18:41).
  (See Nimrod and Peleg explained in The Tower of Babel). 
• Septuagint Vs. Masoretic Genealogies (time 5:45→).

In the Masoretic Text, the word YHWH is used for God, see The Trinity.
In the Septuagint the expressions God and Lord are used instead,
which is also used in the NT. The term YHWH isn't used in the NT.
This indicates that the Septuagint is most often used by the NT writers.
However, this doesn't mean that it's wrong to use YHWH as the Lord's name,
see the Names of God in Judaism, Whose Son Is Messiah?,
time 15:10–17:26 in Adam In The Garden Of Eden - Genesis 2:1-17, 

and in What is YHWH? ( Known as the tetragrammaton ) | GotQuestions.org.

There is also a difference in the height of Goliath between the Masoretic Text
and the Septuagint for 1 Sam 17:4. According to the Masoretic Text he was
"six cubits and a span" (9 feet 9 inches or 2.97 meters). According 
to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Josephus, and the major Septuagint manuscripts, he was
"four cubits and a span" (6 feet 9 inches or 2.06 meters), see LXX (page 17).

Another difference is in the beginning of the Psalms. A significant portion, 
perhaps as much as 80 % of the Psalms in the Septuagint begin with the phrase 
"For the End" or "Regarding completion". In Bible translations based
on the Masoretic Text, it says "To the choirmaster" or "FOR THE CHOIR DIRECTOR".

See also the comment about Psalm 145:13b at time 4:15–7:13 in 
Dead Sea Scrolls: The Shocking Evidence for the Septuagint!

There is also a difference in Dan 9:27, see the end part of Ezekiel's Temple.

My personal opinion is that the Septuagint many times can be a better alternative 
than the other alternatives, and that it was primarily the Septuagint 
that was used outside of Israel at the time of Jesus. Much because it was written
in Greek, which was a language spoken in the area, and Greek is the language
in which most parts of the NT were written. Where the NT quotes texts in the OT
and they don't quite agree, I think that the texts in the NT are more reliable,
and you should go by them. This means that the Septuagint 
should be used where its texts better match the quotes in NT,
and the Masoretic Text where its texts better match the quotes in NT.

See also in Why You Should Use the Septuagint (time 43:51–46:04) why the Septuagint most times is more accurate and reliable than the Masoretic Text.

I believe that the Christian Bible in its first writings by its original authors 
was inspired by God the Holy Spirit and is the Word of God without any true contradiction, see Misconceptions and Objections. Inaccuracies have then occurred during copying. Sometimes even intentionally removing or neutralizing predictions 
in the OT about Jesus being Messiah, see Were the Pyramids Built Before the Flood?
(time 19:44–25:41) and Jesus in the Synagogue of Nazareth. However, these changes haven't affected the Christian doctrines, but we must be aware of their existence. See also Why You Should Use the Septuagint (time 37:08–43:50).

I think that the quotes in the NT should agree with what we read in the OT. It's therefore recommended to create revised editions of the OT, based on OT
quotations in the NT. In several places in the OT we have agreements between the Septuagint, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and in the NT quotations of the OT
(Ecclesiastes 4:12), which we don't see in the Masoretic Text. The Septuagint 
and the Masoretic Text should be treated on equal terms according to this pattern and merged in some way. The differences between the Septuagint and the 
Masoretic Text can then be explained with notes in these revised versions of the OT. 

If having many copies of a text, it can be possible to reproduce the original text
by comparing the copies with each other. It can then be possible to see 
where the errors are, which then makes it possible to recreate the original version.

I don’t think that it makes much difference to the Christian life if using 
the Septuagint or the Masoretic Text as the Christian doctrines are the same. 
It may seem that Jesus most often used the Septuagint when referring to the OT scriptures, but he also referred to the Proto-Masoretic Text. It may also be
that Jesus used a Proto-Masoretic Text in Hebrew, but pronounced it in Aramaic, 
as that was the language spoken by the Jews at that time. 
The authors of the four Gospels probably used the Septuagint when writing them,
because they are written in Greek, which made it easier for them. This is based on the fact that the difference between the Septuagint and the Proto-Masoretic Text 
was much smaller in Jesus' time than it is today. Both versions were available 
at the time of Jesus. Outside of Israel, the Septuagint was probably most common.

For information on ordering a reliable version of the Septuagint, 
see Why You Should Use the Septuagint (time 46:05→).

See also the The New English Translation of the Septuagint (NETS),
for example the Electronic Edition of NETS (LXX).  

See also The Old Testament of the Bible.

Thermodynamics Confirms Creation

Thermodynamics confirms creation, see these times in the video: 
Spike Psarris - Thermodynamics Confirms Creation:

• Principles of Thermodynamics: 
• Transfer of thermal energy: 11:42–13:54.
• Implications for origins: 13:55–15:24.
• Our Moon is still active: 15:25–17:01.
• Io, a moon of Jupiter: 17:02–18:15.
• Enceladus, a moon of Saturn: 18:16–19:26.
• Pluto: 19:27–21:42.
• The First Law of Thermodynamics: 
• Conservation of Matter and Energy: 21:53–25:12.
• Where did our Universe come from? 25:13–26:18.
• The Second Law of Thermodynamics: 
• What is Entropy? 26:19–27:51.
• Implication: 27:52–28:30.
• What it means for the Universe: 28:31–30:13.
• The Fall of man: 31:51–33:46.
• Valid arguments from Thermodynamics: 
• Origin of life: 34:03–35:59.
• Decay in dinosaurs: 36:01–39:51.
• The secular dilemma: 40:04–46:13.
• More about Entropy:
• Why does Entropy increase? 46:35–52:21.
• Applying Entropy on the Universe: 52:22–55:29.
• The Boltzmann Brain Paradox: 55:30–1:01:13.

See The Second Law of Thermodynamics related to time in the video:

• Nobody Knows What TIME Really Is . . ..: Time 2:02–10:28. 

See also Evidence for Creation and Scientific Proofs of the Bible.