Let me be straight-forward with you: I don't know how to read, write, or speak any Greek whatsoever, and most people, after reading that, will close this window and never read this article. Sadly, the reason they won't read this is because they are respecters of persons, meaning I don't have a fancy degree or a flashy title (e.g. doctor, pastor, etc). However, if you're willing to hear the matter before you answer it, you might be surprised to learn that nearly all pastors have no clue how to study the Word of God because they were taught error and fallacy in their seminary (i.e. cemetery) colleges from the very start.
(Read "Respecting Persons Is Sin" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.
-Proverbs 18:13

Don't be afraid to continue reading this because you do NOT need to know any Greek or Hebrew to understand this teaching. This will be a whole lot more simple to understand than you may initially realize.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
-2 Timothy 2:15

I'm going to demonstrate what the "Greek Game" is, the Scriptural problems with it, and then at the end, there's a test you can take. I would encourage you to take the test and see how you do, but remember that if you score highly on that test, then you failed; it's not designed to score high or low to succeed—it's designed to show you the problem with people who "go to the original Greek" in their so-called "interpretation" of Scripture.

Before we begin, it's also important to understand that the King James Bible is the preserved and pure Word of the Living God, and that the new-age versions are corrupt. The teaching will also complement our teaching on the "Dangers of Lexicons and Concordances," and how the men who wrote them did not believe in the Gospel of Christ. If you want to learn more, here are links to those teachings: Why Christians Should Study The King James Bible
The Dangers of Using Lexicons and Concordances
Does the Greek Septuagint Exist?

Countless times, I've heard preachers say "we need to look at the original Greek," but just to give an example, let's look at Cliff Lietch, a new-age author who swaps around multiple new-age bible versions to try and manipulate Scripture to get it to say what he wants it to say. In this particular instance, he's attempting to justify sodomy/homosexuality, and concerning Mark 7:20-23, he writes: "This verse has been translated in as many different ways as there are different versions of the Bible, so we have to look at the original Greek to see what Paul was really saying."

-Cliff Leitch, "What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?" Christian Bible Reference, Jan 18, 2014, retrieved May 9, 2018, [https://bit.ly/2I9f6OA]; On his "About" page, Leitch says he's Baptist and his wife is Catholic, so just from that alone, we know there's a ton of leaven in this man.

Leitch goes on to give an explanation that the "original Greek" actually says something different than what the Bible clearly teaches. Most of us have heard this from self-proclaimed pastors and churchgoers many times, but what they don't typically tell you is that, like me, most of them also don't read, write, or speak Greek, but the difference is that I'll be honest with you about it.

The reason I mentioned respecting persons (i.e. sin) at the beginning of this article is because what typically happens is that the pastor gets up behind the pulpit in front of a congregation, points to a word in the Bible, and then says, "the original Greek says," when, in fact, he doesn't understand Greek at all. Most of the time, he's got a lexicon, concordance, or commentary that he's taken notes from, which told him what the "original Greek says," but he doesn't tell the audience that, and so when they know he's attended a seminary college, and he talks about the "original Greek," they think he's some sort of Greek scholar, and they believe him on the basis of respecting his person.

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons... But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
-James 2:1-9

Most often, seminary colleges require their graduates take a Hebrew and Greek 101 course, meaning they might have one semester of Greek and one semester of Hebrew. This means, they learned a few things in an introductory course that was required to pass the class, then they never studied it again, and for those of you who have taken classes you didn't want in college, you know that you'll quickly forget anything you learned in it. Sadly, pastors and preachers are fooling churchgoers into thinking they are experts in the Greek language, when they know next to nothing about the subject, and I'll show you how they do it.

For a moment, I want you to imagine you're the pastor of a 501c3 corporate business (which they call a "church"), and you have a half hour of speaking to fill on a Sunday morning. While you're imagining this, remember that you really want to make your congregation believe that you are worth the paycheck you're getting from that tithe plate every week, so you want to impress them with your knowledge.
(Read "Is Tithe a Christian Requirement?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

The first thing you need to do is grab a concordance or lexicon, but most new-age versions have made it convenient for you and included a mini-concordance and commentary below the verses, so you don't have to crowd the pulpit with multiple books. If you want, you can simply read mostly from the commentary and impress your audience, but if you want to look amazing and earn more respect for your person, you can look at the concordance at the bottom of the page and tell them what the "original Greek" says, so they'll think you've spent a lot of long hours studying the Bible.

You may not think it's that simple, but it really is, and few pastors are willing to admit it to the churchgoers in their church buildings because it lessens the value or importance pastors want churchgoers to put on their position. Let's try it out and see how this works:

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up [άναφέρω] into an high mountain apart,
-Matthew 17:1

Contextually, this passage is very simple; Jesus walked up the mountain and they followed him. That's it. However, preachers who want to impress a crowd need to go "deeper" into the Scripture by analyzing the phrase "bringeth them up."

GREEK: άναφέρω PRONOUNCED: "ah-nah-feh-ro"

I went to Strong's Lexicon and got the definitions for the Greek word "anaphero." According to Strong, there are a number of ways this can be translated: άναφέρω - anaphero

1. to bring up 2. to lead up 3. to offer up (i.e. upon an altar) 4. to lift up (carry) 5. to sustain (See Strong's Greek Lexicon, "G399 άναφέρω," Blue Letter Bible, retrieved May 9, 2018, [https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g399/kjv/tr/0-1/])

The churchgoers in the audience read "bring them up" and think they understand it, but as a prestigious pastor, you learned to go to the "original Greek," so now you can preach that 'anaphero' actually means definition #2, to LEAD them up, and if you're skilled in speech, that you can easily fill half of your 30-minute time slot with that alone. You can tell your congregation how the King James Bible doesn't really give you the full meaning, and how much smarter you are than those in times past because you have a degree and a new-age bible version. You can tell the congregation that to LEAD up is so much more meaningful because Jesus is a LEADER, and how much He LEADS us in our lives every day, and how that, when we get depressed because we get a flat tire on the road, we just need Jesus to LEAD us through those dark times.

Does this sound familiar to you? Many of you have probably heard this same type of "sermon" regurgitated (i.e. vomited) to you repeatedly, and some of you (if you've read this far) may hate the fact that I'm pointing this out; thinking that it couldn't possibly be that simple. In fact, it is that simple, and as I said before, a ten-year-old could easily do this if he understands where to look.

As a pastor, you could choose definition #4, to LIFT up, and show the congregation how impressive your Greek knowledge is by telling them that the poor, ignorant Christians of times past didn't understand the true meaning of Matthew 17:1. You can tell them that Jesus LIFTED them up, meaning that He CARRIED them up the mountain because Jesus must CARRY our sins and burdens, and therefore, He LIFTED them up the mountain to demonstrate to us that we must let Him CARRY our burdens when the dishwasher breaks down.

But if you really want to impress the audience, choose definition #3, to OFFER up, as if on an altar. You can tell them Jesus knew there had to be a sacrifice, and He planned on offering up Peter, James, and John as sacrifices, but He just couldn't bear to see His disciples sacrificed, so He changed His mind and decided to OFFER up Himself instead, showing what a merciful God He is, and how we should learn to praise Him more when we get ice cream headaches at church picnics.

Some readers might believe I'm exaggerating, but I've heard these types of sermons preached far too many times for someone to tell me they don't happen, and the typical churchgoers accept these types of teachings as "doctrine." You would be surprised how much people will believe if you wear a suit and stand behind a pulpit, or if you have a published book about "Christianity," and they use that prestigious respecting of persons to feed churchgoers a load of garbage and call it "Christian" teaching.

For example, the following author did exactly what I just demonstrated, using definition #2:
"Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. Matthew 17:1 [NIV]... These three men were becoming intimately connected with Jesus, and it was becoming instinctive for them to follow His voice. What encourages me most is that, even though Peter was accused of allowing the enemy to use him, Jesus still included him. The other word in verse one is led, or anaphero, which means 'to carry or bring up, to lead up men to a higher place.' I'm sure we can all think of a time when we felt we could have been 'left behind.' Jesus doesn't work that way, though. He doesn't reject or exclude us. He includes us... We can then assume there was a work of repentance in Peter's heart for Jesus to lead him to a higher place."
-Sherry Budd, The Leader Who Followed: A Study on the Life of Peter, Tate Publishing, 2011, p. 69, ISBN: 9781615669776

See what I mean? It doesn't take a theology degree, or even a middle-school education, to perform this sleight-of-hand, and when they're done, you're more likely to walk away believing they actually know something about the "original Greek," when they know nothing about it.

Here's another "Christian" author who uses definition #4:
"'Jesus led them.' Led here is anaphero which actually means carry. Two things we can be sure of. He knew where He was going and He was looking forward to blowing these guys' minds."
-Terry Clark, "See Jesus In His Kingdom?" retrieved Dec 3, 2014, [catalystpeople.com/matthew-171-13-see-jesus-in-his-kingdom]

This guy's changing it from bringing them up, to leading them up, and then to carry them up, and then concludes that Jesus wanted to "blow their minds." Again, all this man did was go to the concordance, look at the definitions, pick one that he felt like he could make something emotional out of, and then ran with it, making up any doctrine he felt like along the way.

Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.
-Proverbs 19:27

Here's one more author using definition #3:
"Now it is Jesus who takes the initiative, leading his disciples to the 'burning bush' of the mystery of God. The word 'lead' (anaphero: to lift on high, to offer) used by Matthew conveys the idea of offering something in gratitude. Jesus wants to teach us that everything is a gift... It is precisely this offering that reveals the Master's freedom of heart—he is not afraid to enlighten the world with the transfiguring power of a completely new kind of love."
-Paoline, "The 7 Lights of Easter," Figlie Di San Paolo, retrieved May 9, 2018, [paoline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/II_domenica_Quaresima_eng.pdf]

As I just demonstrated, this is how the scam works. In order to effectively use the "original Greek" scam, there are three rules preachers need to follow:
RULE #1: You are more intelligent than other people.
The first thing preachers must do is take on the attitude that they are learned scholars that have the true, hidden meaning of verses because they have access to a concordance. This type of arrogance is common because it's taught to them in their seminary college, and it's an Evolutionism style of philosophy (i.e. ancient man was stupid and modern man is smart); therefore, we need modern gurus with special education to understand what the Bible says.

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
-Philippians 2:3

You must assume that people are too stupid to read the Bible for themselves to understand it, and ignore what Scripture tells us:

But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
-1 John 2:27

RULE #2: Everything you say is directly from God.
The second thing preachers must do is assume, because they have a seminary college degree, that everything they say is from God, and everything they feel is from the Holy Spirit. Generally, pressure is put on the congregation that all the pastor says should not be questioned, and to do so is considered heresy; in other words, the pastor's word is put on the same level as God's Word.

These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
-Psalm 50:21

RULE #3: When the King James Bible uses a word, it's wrong.
The third thing preachers must do is assume that the translators of the King James Bible got things wrong, or made things too difficult to understand, and all the words must be reexamined from the "original Greek." Again, this is based on the assumption that the average person is too stupid to understand the context of Scripture.

What we need to understand is that the Bible tells us that the Lord God rarely calls the high and lofty, the well-educated with prestigious positions and the wisdom of this world. Rather, God chooses the lowly, the weak, and the despised to preach His Word.

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
-1 Corinthians 1:26-29

The Lord God gives His understanding to the foolish, weak, and base (i.e. worthless) people so that no flesh would glory in His presence; meaning that the people would not lift up and glorify men. Yet, that's exactly what they do with these pastors who are lifted up on high, treated as lords over the church buildings, being glorified among men, while they spew out nonsense from behind the pulpit.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
-Luke 18:14

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
-Matthew 20:25-28

The Word of God was designed so that the words would be understood by the context in which they are used, but so often, lazy churchgoers don't want to sit down and actually study the Word of God, relying on the Spirit of God to teach them; they would rather have someone else tell them what it says. It is through their reliance on other people to tell them what the Bible says, they get fed lies about the "original Greek." Most often, churchgoers will turn to commentaries, and read the commentary more than they'll read the Bible; relying on a commentator to interpret for them, rather than learning and memorizing it themselves. In fact, back when I was a brand-new Christian, I did this very thing to churchgoers in a Bible study group, and they swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

When I was a new Christian, I was using a corrupt New King James (which is one of the most deceptive versions out there), that included commentary from false, new-age preacher Max Lucado, and during a Bible study (which consisted of people my parents' age) a topic was brought up on the Scripture that was being read. As they began to discuss it, I ignored them and read Lucado's commentary, and when the time was right, I spoke up and gave them a summary of Lucado's commentary as if it were my own thoughts, and they all complimented me on how well I understood Scripture and how wise my words were, even though I didn't know anything about the subject; so I hope Christians can have a better understanding of how easy it is for a pastor to fool people into thinking he has understanding.
(Read "What About The New King James?" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

REMEMBER: Bible commentaries are NOT the Word of God.

I once listened to a testimony from a man about a church building he used to attend in which they had a "talent" contest for preaching. It's completely unbiblical, but that's the kind of foolish thing that typically gets done in church buildings today. During the preaching contest, a 14-year-old boy got up and corrected the King James Bible from the pulpit using the "original Greek," and the boy had no knowledge of Greek, but he learned the technique I just showed you from his pastor, and applied that to help him win the contest; my point being: If a 14-year-old can do it, anybody can do it.

The bottom line is that, in their wicked hearts, these preachers are really looking to impress the audience. The Bible calls that a desire for 'preeminence' among men, and that means they desire to be given superiority in place or rank; to be distinguished above the rest in a position of respect.

I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.
-3 John 1:9-10

Just as many preachers have cast me out because I teach this message against their evils and hypocrisy; warning my brethren in Christ to beware their philosophy and vain deceit after the traditions of men. Such wicked men are a dime-a-dozen in modern-day church buildings; being more concerned with impressing others than learning the truth of God's Word.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy [way of thinking] and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments [first teachings] of the world, and not after Christ.
-Colossians 2:8

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess... for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
-Matthew 23:25-28

The average churchgoer listens to a preacher go to the "original Greek," and thinks, "Wow, he really knows the Bible!" Wrong. He knows how to fool people. That preacher knows his Greek lexicon better than he knows the Bible, and as a born again Christian, any time you see someone doing this, warning sirens should be going off in your mind.

I want Christians to fully understand the importance of the King James Bible, and why it is God's Word preserved perfectly. In order to demonstrate it, I'm going to give you that test I mentioned at the beginning of this article, but first, we need to look at some Scripture from John 21:

So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
-John 21:15-17

You'll notice I highlighted the places where the word 'love' is used. The Greek is said to have a few words that can be used to mean "love," but we will focus on the two that are found in Scripture, namely agapae (ah-gah-pay) and phileo (fil-eh-oh):

άγαπάω - "agapae"

VS

"phileo" - φιλέω

Agapae (άγαπάω) means "to love dearly," which is an intimate, deep, selfless love. Agapae love is used in context of parent to child or husband to wife.
Phileo (φιλέω) means "to like," which is more of an approving, friendly, casual love. Phileo love is used in context of a casual acquaintance, like a co-worker, or in liking the flavor of a meal.

There is a common doctrine in church buildings today in which a pastor will teach that Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with "agapae" love, which is intimate love, and the pastor will teach that Peter only answered him with "phileo" love, which is casual. Jesus asked again about "agapae," Peter answered with "phileo." On the third time around, the pastor says that Jesus asked with "phileo," and Peter was grieved because Jesus changed from "agapae" to "phileo," and so Peter answered Jesus once again with "phileo."

Here's an example from a leavened preacher so you can see what I'm talking about:
"Jesus was graciously teaching Peter, since He knew that if Peter were to face judgment regarding his obedience to the greatest of commands, he would be found lacking. The greatest commandment requires us to 'agape' the Lord our God with all our heart (spirit), soul, mind, and strength (body) and to 'agape' our neighbor as ourselves. Peter admits that he indeed did not 'agape' his Lord, but rather he was only able to attain to the level of 'phileo' love. That is why Peter was so grieved when Christ pursued him with His line of interrogation."
-Dennis Bank, Sanctiprize: Restoration to the Person You were Created to Be, Holy & Without Blame, Embodying the Father's Love, Charisma Media, 2012, p. 12, ISBN: 9781616389819

If we stopped at this point, you might walk away thinking they've got a good point; after all, you don't know Greek, so maybe that is the real meaning of that conversation. This is deception, and it's based on people looking to a Greek grammar dictionary, rather than the context of the Word of God.

I will now demonstrate that when the Bible uses "agapae" or "phileo," it means a deep, intimate, selfless sacrifice. That is the defintion of love in the vast majority of cases in the Scriptures, but unlearned pastors, who seem to have more popularity than sense, will try to convince you there is a difference between them.
(Read "The Biblical Understanding of Love" at creationliberty.com for details.)

Please take the following test, and do not be afraid of it. You do not need a PhD is religious studies, nor a degree in languages to understand this. If you have the ability to read English, and interpret sentences by the context, then you can take this quiz and do just fine.

However, please note: If you do this correctly, you will get some answers right, and some answers wrong. THIS IS INTENTIONAL. If you answer all "agapae," you will fail. If you answer all "phileo," you will fail. A high or low score is NOT reflective of how well you did; the test is meant to demonstrate the fallacy of leavened preachers fallacious relying on Greek grammar dictionaries.

On the left is the Bible verse in question, and on the right are two options for your answer. Simply read the Bible verse and select the answer you think is correct; whether it is speaking of "agapae" (deep, intimate, selfless) love or "phileo" (casual, friendly) love. Some readers may be confused, and perhaps do not believe this test is accurate. If you think I am wrong, go get a Greek grammar dictionary and check it out for yourself.

Now, let's review.

In Question #5, you were asked whether Christ's love for His children was "agapae" (deep, intimate, selfless) love or "phileo" (casual, friendly) love. Most of you considered Christ's love for us to be "agapae," deep, intimate, selfless love, but you were likely surprised to find that the Greek word used in that passage was "phileo," which is defined in Greek grammar dictionaries to be simply a casual, friendly love.

Did that seem contradictory to you? It certainly did to me.

Does this mean the Bible is wrong? Not at all.

My argument is that all the verses used in this quiz are speaking of love as a deep, intimate, selfless love, but God chose to use two different words in the Greek to mean the same thing. The problem is that when reading the English, churchgoers are not taught to consider the context and interpret the Scriptures through it; rather, they are taught to use Greek grammar dictionaries to be their "bible"β€”to be the lord of interpretations for themβ€”which serves only to put the authors of Greek grammar dictionaries (and likewise, the pastors who use them) in a position of authority, so that you feel you must rely on them to understand the text.

Both "agapae" and "phileo" are used interchangeably, as you can see if you compare Question #6 with Question #8. In both instances, Jesus is talking about the deep, intimate love that the Pharisees have for the uppermost rooms and seats, but whereas in Question #6, "phileo" is used to describe that love, in Question #8, "agapae" is used to describe that same love. Thus, it is not about going to a Greek grammar dictionary to define words in the Bible, but rather, it's about going to the context of the Bible to define the words, and that's what the translators of the King James Bible did, whereas the translators of the new-age versions went to a Greek grammar dictionary. (That's one of the many reasons new-age versions are so corrupt!)

There is a question you can ask yourself to determine what it is you really believe about the Bible: If you are struggling to answer that question, then you have yet to make the Bible your final authority in all matters of faith and practice. If you need additional help, answer this last question, and if you have a spark of reasoning in your mind and a love of the Lord in your heart, this should settle the matter for you:
Knowing that the brotherly love we should have for each other is a deep, intimate, selfless love, you likely selected "agapae," but according to the Greek grammar dictionary, this is wrong. However, some of you may have decided you would go the other route, and think that brotherly love is not that intimate, so you chose phileo, only to discover you also got it wrong.

This was a trick question. Both "agapae" (i.e. "brotherly love") AND "phileo" (i.e. "love one another") are used in the same verse to mean the same type of love, demonstrating that interpretation of the Scriptures must be reached through the context of the text, not through Greek dictionaries.

Now you have a choice: You can either look to the Word of God for answers, or you can look to the "original Greek" for answers, but you cannot look to both.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
-Joshua 24:15

If you rely on Greek grammar dictionaries for answers, you will find yourself in very serious error on some extremely important doctrines. However, if you just stick with the King James Bible, you can stand on a firm foundation.

And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.
-Genesis 40:8

Since I have learned these things, every time I hear a preacher say "the original Greek says," it feels like they are vomiting in my ears. Ultimately, they are not glorifying Godβ€”they are glorifying themselves in a pathetic attempt to get you to repsect their person.

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
-James 2:9

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
-Mark 7:7

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.
-Philippians 3:18-19

When the Bible says their "god is their belly," it means that someone does something for the money. (i.e. It's money to feed themselves.) It means these false pastors are going to the "original Greek" to impress the audience so they will give more money, so the pastor can have a bigger paycheck and nicer office.
(Read "Is Tithe a Christian Requirement?" here at creationliberty.com for more details; Christ taught charity, not tithe, and the article has statistics that show 50% of all pastors would quit, but they have no other way of making a living.)

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
-Proverbs 30:5-6

Christians do not need to go out and learn Greek to understand God's Word because God preserved His completed Word for us in English. The only thing you need to study the Bible is the ability to read it in its context, which is something most children learn to do very early in their lives.

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
-Psalm 119:130

The simple are those who don't have fancy educations from prestigious seminary colleges. Sadly, what these pastors do, in order to convince you to keep paying their paychecks, is to take you to the "original Greek," so you end up in a position where you can't understand the Bible on your own, and like a guru of a cult, you need their help to interpret doctrine.

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
-2 Peter 1:20

Again, I want to emphasize that most of these leavened preachers typically go to a lexicons or concordances; they don't actually know Greek. The standard, popular concordances are Strong's, Thayer's, Vine's, etc. These men, as I demonstrated in another article, didn't believe on the Gospel of Christ; they believed in other works-based methods to get to heaven, and their lexicons are actually based on the same Westcott and Hort Greek New Testament that is the foundation of all the new-age bible versions, which means even if you're reading the King James Bible, but going back to the "original Greek" in one of these concordances, it's no different than studying the new-age versions directly. (i.e. They believe they've sanctified themselves by picking up a KJB, but they're still going back to the old leavened sources by another means.)
(Read "Dangers of Using Lexicons and Concordances" here at creationliberty.com for more details.)

Here is a very short list of popular online "Christian" teachers (living or deceased) that have used the "original Greek" scam in their teachings:

Todd Bentley Fresh Fire Ray Comfort Living Waters/Way of the Master Chuck Colson Break Point Kenneth Copeland Kenneth Copeland Ministries James Dobson Focus on the Family Creflo Dollar Creflo Dollar Ministries Todd Friel Wretched TV/Living Waters Billy Graham Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Ken Ham Answers in Genesis (AiG) Benny Hinn Benny Hinn Ministries Michael Houdmann Got Questions Brannon Howse Worldview Weekend Jack Van Impe Jack Van Impe Ministries Max Lucado UpWords John MacArthur Grace to You (GtY) Henry Morris Institute for Creation Research Pat Robertson Christian Broadcasting Network Matt Slick Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry (CARM) Charles Stanley In Touch Ministries David J. Stewart Jesus is Savior/Jesus is Precious James White Alpha and Omega Ministries Carl Wieland Creation Ministries International (CMI)

It's not limited to this list; I'm just giving examples so readers can understand how widespread this is. When I was growing up, through some of the church buildings my family attended, I can't recall a preacher who did not use the "original Greek" in many of their presentations; it's everywhere, and the people typically just accept and respect the person of the pastor who scams them without ever questioning if what he said was right or not.

If you're a Christian, put away your new-age versions, lexicons, concordances, and commentaries, and start studying the Word of God itself. Sanctify yourself (i.e. set yourself apart) from the false ways of men who worship their own brains and seek to make merchandise of you. They'll continue to tell you that you have to have their teachings and study tools to understand the Word, and they will speak evil of me because I dare to rebuke them in their unrighteousness.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious [mischievous/injurious] ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
-2 Peter 2:1-3

Instead, start letting the Holy Spirit of God teach you His Word by reading it in its context. In the end, it'll save you a lot of time and money:

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
-Psalm 119:103-105

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