One is impressed at the style and form of Scripture. There is considerable difference between the secular evaluation of the language, the style, the content presentation of the Bible, and the Christian evaluation. For the Christian, Scripture belongs to the miracle class of things. Miracle comes from some place outside nature’s realm, so is not fully subject to human evaluation, except for its effects. Scripture comes from God, and that which comes from God relates to miracle, at least at its base, and may then be affected by natural course. For example: translations come from mankind, so the translations may have to be treated with more concern than the original. The miracle (revelation and related meaning) in a translation is less identifiable. Again, we look at context. If the translator is found to have lost least of the original among all translated manuscripts of whatever theme, one is tempted to say that some miracle prevented the translators from losing anything of value from the original. That miracle, if it may be called a miracle, may be shrouded so that the manuscript may no longer be taken as major evidence of something special. Have the translators done better with Scripture than translators of other ancient manuscripts? We are informed that the biblical translators have done remarkably well, and no one has found a substantive error in the translation of the best biblical manuscripts from the ancient world. It is commonly believed that Bible copiers and translators have been more effective in capturing the original script than has occurred in any other major work. Elsewhere in these Pages there is reference to the eminent ancient Greek surgeon, Dioscorides, whose written work dominated surgery for a thousand years. The translations and copies have proved to be so distorted that the late editions may have contributed to death for patients.
We seek to understand what a passage of Scripture means. We consider assistance in the meaning of the words; in the context of the passage with which we are engaged; in the commentary of Scripture itself, in related passages about the word, or the idea; in the history of the passage; in the logic of the passage, where human logic is a factor; in the details of the account which lend genuineness to the story; in the consistency of a number of writers over many centuries relative to God, worship, life, family focus, society, sin, righteousness, mission, redemption, death and immortality. It provides awards to mankind for beliefs and conduct fitting to the context of God as revealed in Scripture. There is the paradox of asking nothing and everything of the individual person. It resists the evaluation of the natural scheme in that, for example, wealth may be a curse, poverty may be a blessing. Suffering as a consequence of doing wrong is just: suffering for doing well is virtuous. (1 Peter 2:19-20) We learn a new culture as Christians and live by it.
When my children were very young there were some things I would have liked to have told them, but could not and should not. I wanted them to know what I knew, but they would have to wait for the information. The issues were not that I did not know, but their understanding could not absorb them rightly. They were unready for the information. God is like that with mankind. He tells us what we can absorb. Some is left out, and awaits the heavenly context for clarity. If our arrogance goes beyond our trust in his word, we may find fault with God, his word and modus operandi. If I can accept the light I am given, and live up to it, I feel sure that sooner or later hidden answers will come. When trust is sufficient we may be surprised that some answers will come sooner. We may also be sure that some will not come until much later when the world is no longer with us, and the perfect family of God is formed. The Christian may use the Bible as something that is inspirational in much of its narrative, and dull in other parts. One can get through the generations and tribes genealogies without gaining spiritual advancement or loss. The presence of the genealogies reveals a gem now and then but the listings make rather firm that God is interested in families, in their identities, and when understood give more than natural meaning to the family. As the years go by, and Scripture is taken in full appreciation for what it is as revelation, we know we want to preserve it all and thank God for it. Once the project of slipping God’s word to mankind is in manageable language, we learn of God and ourselves. The biblical Christian is rightly offended when persons, even of the church, depart from the Word of God, or try to amend it. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020