One man writes:
I am wary of suggesting (much less actually stating) what [Bayly] did at the end of the article, equating what was done to editing and changing the word of God in presumably a damnable fashion. This particular paragraph is what I have in mind:
"Denny Burk should warn the translators and publishers of his denomination's Christian Standard Bible that their removal of hundreds and hundreds of words with a male meaning component from Scripture places their souls in jeopardy of having their part in the tree of life and the holy city removed by God."
Say that is badly translated? Certainly. Call on them to change it in future editions? Sure. Say that the translators/editors are in danger of the fires of hell because of it? Why go to that extent?
Why go to that extent?
Because this is the explicit warning of the Holy Spirit. In the Word of God, He Himself warns us that those who do this very thing are in danger of not inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven. If this warning doesn't apply to the removal of...
"old wives'," "brothers," "man," "the effeminate," and "father," when would this warning apply? Maybe when they delete definite and indefinite articles, conjunctions, and prepositions?
But not the words they remove to placate the rebellious feminist inside the breast of each of us.
Do we forget how our Lord defended Himself against the Pharisees?
Then He said to them, “How is it that they say the Christ is David’s son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET.”’ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord,’ and how is He his son?” (Luke 20:41-44)
Similarly:
But regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, "I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC," and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken. (Mark 12:26, 27)
In both cases, Jesus' defense rested upon one single word inspired by the Holy Spirit.
In fact, our Lord Himself warns us, not just about the words of Scripture, but also the Bible's very letters and vowel points:
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matthew 5:18)
Translating the Bible is serious business and what I've documented is men who claim to believe in the plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture deleting words inspired by God, thereby rendering God's words more palatable for modern readers. And this at the point of Scripture's teaching on sexuality.
You got that, didn't you?
In case not, let me repeat myself: "at the point of Scripture's teaching on sexuality."
HELLO...
Tim serves Clearnote Church, Bloomington, Indiana. He and Mary Lee have five children and big lots of grandchildren.
Want to get in touch? Send Tim an email!
