The Bible, the Word of God, the Scriptures: they are an adventure packed with exploration, a pilgrimage intended for examination, and a journey inviting – even demanding – our participation. Reflecting on their origination, we confirmed they are given for us, and we continue to explore their transformation within us.
Let’s review the foundation of principles and terminologies used as a fulcrum to help us leverage the weight and mystery of the Scriptures and their power to change us. Revelation is the message itself, given and delivered by God Himself. The method by which this was accomplished is called inspiration. Properly understanding the Word of God requires illumination, a capacity given us by the Spirit. Proper interpretation is the acquired skill, also guided by the Spirit, to handle God’s message with humility and accuracy. A sanctified imagination allows our entire being to be permeated by God’ Word. We must remain intentionally aware that God jealously oversees the entire process of the transmission and preservation of His revelation.
In a very real sense, one of the most effective translations of Scripture is the most flawed: it is the Word of God in the lives of believers – as it is read and seen by others. We see this as a great reflection of God’s love – that He trusts us to represent Him and share His Truth. This is the propagation of the Scriptures to the world.
Following this post, we will dive into some basic and necessary practices that anyone can apply in developing a personal, intentional, and intimate study of the Scriptures. We will also follow up with how to deal with those feisty “problem passages” that we each inevitably encounter in our journey through the Word.
But first, here we focus on three final foundational principles regarding the nature of the Scriptures: canonization, translation, and propagation.
Over the centuries, God has sovereignly guided the entire process of the transmission and preservation of His revelation to humanity. He used multiple authors from different circumstances and time periods, yet He enabled us to gather these writings together into one source, the Bible. As the Bible came together, various groups of believers gathered to affirm – or recognize – the validity and authority of these writings, verifying which books were genuine and which ones were not. This whole process is called canonization.
If the Bible is God’s Word, it must be both recognizable and verifiable as such (canonization). By necessity, it must also be translatable and accessible to the culture of any time period. This is validated by the fact that the Bible is the most translated book in the entire record of human history. Note that it was not God’s intention for us to have the original copies of Scripture. We would probably have idolized them and made them a public and marketable spectacle. We do have more copies of the Scripture in the original languages than any other writings of antiquity. Once again, this displays God’s ability to protect and disseminate His Word.
Today, several translations are close to the original languages of Scripture: they are as close as they can be in word or thought. Paraphrases of Scripture are less strict as they seek to clarify thoughts for the readers of the current culture. It is foolish to demand that only one “correct” translation of the Bible exists today. In fact, it is the multitude of translations that, together, support the reliability of God’s Word.
It is good to use multiple translations for study but to use one for consistency in your meditative reading and personal worship. The Holy Spirit mysteriously yet certainly enables a believer to recognize a translation or paraphrase that is weak or harmful.
In a very real sense, one of the most effective translations of Scripture is the most flawed: it is the Word of God in the lives of believers – as it is read and seen by others. We see this as a great reflection of God’s love – that He trusts us to represent Him and share His Truth. This is the propagation of the Scriptures to the world.