Thursday, November 16, 2006

Staying Clear of Bibliolatry

A couple of days ago I was reading in Demarest and Lewis' Integrative Theology, where I came across the following quote in relation to the fact that original manuscripts of the New Testament no longer exist. "Why did the Lord permit this? Perhaps it is because the lack of the originals prevents any museum or church from treating them superstitiously as relics. The written form of God's Word was not given for purposes of bibliolatry. Christians do not worship a book, but the God who has not only acted, but also spoken, in the foundational writings of the prophets and apostles" (pg. 153).
The authors seem to have hit the nail on the head concerning the current English translations debate. Obviously the choice of which version an individual will use needs to be based upon thoughtful research. However, when that conclusion is reached, we must each guard against elevating a certain version to the extent of making it more important than the Author of the Word.
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