The Bible is the infallible, eternal word of God. Satan knows that better than anyone. He even quoted scripture out of context when tempting Jesus. He has tried to destroy it many times by banning it or even burning copies of it. God will not allow His word to pass away (Matthew 24:35); so Satan has resorted to spreading lies about it throughout secular societies to keep people from reading it for themselves and learning the eternal truth that is Jesus Christ.
Countless atheists and agnostics have begun a study of the Bible to discredit Christianity and encountered its eternal truth; not only becoming Christians themselves but strong defenders of their faith like C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel. Many others read it without recognizing its truth. They even memorize chapter and verse but without knowing the Shepherd of the 23rd Psalm personally it is just a mental exercise that allows them to pretend to be religious. Their actions eventually betray them.
Personally, it was a single verse that opened my eyes, my mind and my heart to accept God’s gift of eternal life described by Jesus in John 3:16. It was then that God’s Holy Spirit took up residence in my heart and He began to show me how to discern the messages in His word that apply specifically to me. At eleven years of age, the old English of the King James Version suddenly began to make perfect sense to me.
Today we have a variety of modern translations from which to choose, but there are still churches and denominations that use only the King James Version. My first modern translation was the Phillips Version of the New Testament. During the nearly four years I served as a lay preacher in St. Louis, I used that along with the King James Version to prepare messages. My favorite verse in Phillips is Romans 12:2 “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its own mold.” Today, I study and write primarily using the New Living Translation (NLT) because I believe it to be the modern English translation closest to the original Hebrew and Greek. There are several good paraphrase versions (like Phillips) that shed additional light on some passages. Translations into the languages of the nations have for centuries been enabling missionaries to carry out the Great Commission. English vocabulary and usage has changed much even since I was in grammar school (much more so since 1611 England) so why not use a translation that makes sense to this generation instead of teaching new Christians old English as a second language?
To me the bottom line is to read the Bible with an open mind and heart under the guidance of the Holy Spirit no matter which translation you choose. I cannot count the times I have read a very familiar passage and God has shown me a different way of looking at it that is a timely message for me. What brings scripture alive for us is the same Spirit that brought Jesus back to life (Romans 8:11) and gives each of us spiritual rebirth (John 3:3-8).