In February of this year, Bible Gateway, an online Bible platform, announced their decision to remove The Passion Translation (TPT) from its selection of English Bible translations and versions. Reactions to the news were mixed, ranging from praise and thankfulness to disappointment and even outrage, claiming an attack of the enemy against God’s anointed and the move of God. Brian Simmons, the lead translator of TPT, expressed his own feelings regarding the decision by posting online, stating that “cancel culture is alive in the church world. Bible Gateway just removed TPT from their platform. We have one critic who paid scholars to trash TPT, so now we’re off.” He then encouraged loyal followers and readers of TPT to contact Bible Gateway about reinstating it.

When I heard the news, I reached out to Bible Gateway and privately messaged them, thanking them for removing TPT. This was a step in the right direction. If this had happened five years ago, my personal reaction would have been much different, likely being one commenting on his original social media post, which he has since retracted, blaming the devil for daring to touch such an anointed work. For me to not be a proponent of TPT must mean I have never read it, right? Quite the contrary.

I was an avid reader of The Passion Translation (TPT). Not only was I an avid reader, but I also used some of the verses in formulating “prophetic” blog posts. I used it during intercessory prayer meetings. The language was captivating and reading it seemed more personal and intimate. This is the premise of The Passion, “a modern, easy-to-read Bible translation that unlocks the passion of God’s heart and expresses his fiery love—merging emotion and life-changing truth.” It is meant to take you past your intellect and into your heart where God is said to meet you. We seem to forget how deceitful our hearts can be and how we are never told to abandon reasoning and critical thinking. There are also other religious faiths antithetical to Christianity, focusing on a heart level experience or inner witness for validation. This is certainly worth noting.

The pinnacle of my affiliation with TPT came in 2017 when Brian Simmons unexpectedly emailed me, expressing his enjoyment of my blog while saying he had passed my name on to his publishers. A week later, I was on the phone with Broadstreet Publishing. They were considering me as a contributor for Bible study books centered on The Passion Translation, a project spanning four to five years. It seemed like a dream come true.

Life as I knew it was turned right side up two years later. After coming out of the hyper charismatic/NAR movement in May 2019, I stumbled across Mike Winger’s videos concerning The Passion Translation. After watching the videos, I thank God nothing ever transpired from that initial email and phone call. While some would consider it loss, I consider it the protection of God. Though I had expressed continued interest early on in 2019, I was troubled by what I heard and recognized as problematic with The Passion. I want to share with you two of these concerns.

The Heavenly Library and an Angel Named Passion

Though there are numerous areas of concern surrounding TPT, there were two areas initially leaving an impact on me. Perhaps these two impacted me the way they did because of my background in this movement. Regardless, they were quite shocking, and they led me to ask questions I believe are worth considering. (There are others who have done extensive work in examining The Passion. Holly Pivec is another good reference.)

The first reason I no longer read The Passion centers upon Brian Simmon’s account of being taken to the library of heaven. He is not the first person to recount trips to the alleged library of heaven, and he will not be the last. However, in an interview with Sid Roth, he told of his trip to heaven and Jesus telling him he could take two books from the library. As he regaled his experience, he focused on a third book he wanted to take from the library. He told Sid his sinfulness got the better of him, and he began to consider how he could steal this book and bring it back, because this book had the power to usher in the greatest move of God. When he was asked the name of the book, he stated the cover of the book said, “John 22”.

He stated that this book would usher in the “John 14” company, those who would do greater works than Jesus, and though he stated this would not be adding to Scripture, the very mention of John 22 implies another chapter in the gospel of John, which adds to the canon of Scripture. Unlike the Word of God, chapters and verses are not divinely inspired. He told of how Jesus promised he would bring him back to the library someday to take this book. This was of much concern to me because of the implication.

With regard to this account, the contextual meaning of John 14:12 must be considered, such as the audience being addressed and what it means to do greater works. The fact that sin occurred in heaven by his own admission should bring pause and questions of validity and authenticity. We should also ask why the written Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit is not sufficient enough to transform people today. The Bible contains the gospel of Jesus Christ. No special translation or alleged translation is needed to bring a heart level transformation. His Word has not been powerless for the past two thousand years, waiting for a heart level translation. Those who truly belong to Jesus Christ have His Word written on their hearts. This account was disturbing because of its implication in adding to Scripture while inadvertently devaluing Scripture and the power of the gospel.

The second reason came when hearing the origin of the name for The Passion. In a radio interview with Sid Roth, which is a bit nuanced from the television broadcast, Brian was asked if God had told him the name of the Bible. When he replied in the negative, Sid pressed for how he came up with the name. Brian stated that years prior, he had seen an angel in corporate gatherings. He stated God told him internally the name of this angel was Passion, and it was assigned to his ministry. Yes, you read that correctly. The Passion Translation is essentially named after an angel.

Again, there are other religious faiths appealing to angelic visitations and such. Though Brian did not mention any worship toward this angel, there is a great appeal to alleged visions, encounters, and a personal commission from Jesus Christ surrounding this particular Bible and the lead translator. Colossians 2:18 comes to mind, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.” I hope you will consider these genuine concerns along with others and search out this matter while testing experiences as well as TPT against reputable translations. Great reservation should be taken in using The Passion.

Listen to the latest episode of The Lovesick Scribe podcast for an in-depth look at these areas of concern surrounding TPT, containing audio clips from Brian Simmons, as well as some additional material not mentioned here. The Library of Heaven and An Angel Called Passion – The Lovesick Scribe Podcast | Podcast on Spotify