Thank
you, Jason.
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A few thoughts on the Scriptures.
These words of the Lord — I include the OT as well as the New — are not merely directions on how to live a moral life, or guidelines for godliness, but are
the realities of existence in the Kingdom of God. We who walk in the Spirit of Christ, how do we know what is real? Are our feelings reliable indicators of reality? Our reasonings? For example, when we go before Him to commune and worship, confident He has both a heart and an ear for us, on what basis have we this confidence, this deep assurance in our beings of His heart toward us? On His word, of course. In Proverbs 15:8b His words says, “…the prayer of the upright is His delight”, and 15:29b, “…He heareth the prayer of the righteous.” Hebrews 13:5c says, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” John 6:37b says, “…him that cometh to Me to Me I will in no wise cast out.” (Yes, we know that our “uprightness” and “righteousness” is not of ourselves, but that of Christ imputed to us.) These are some of the realities of the realm we have our primary existence in, though it is not apparent to physical sight.
These words of Scripture are not only the very essence of our lives in the Kingdom, but they have varied application. They are the “sword of the Spirit”, Paul tells us (Eph 6:17), by which we may penetrate the darkness holding men and women in fierce bondage, and we may by them cut through and dispel the “spell of satanic atmosphere” in a room where strongholds and thoughts which exalt things “against the knowledge of God” hold sway (2 Cor 10:3-5).
They are also words which bring hope, assurance, courage, cleansing, according to the particular sayings of our Lord, either in His own word, or His word through the authors He used to write His Scripture.
He
did say things that indicate His words were of such crucial import, He would preserve the very individual
words: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” How
precisely are we to take His statement?
Do not these words give rise to a
theological issue which has bearing on
textual issues? Will He not see to it we have that which we need in order to live?
In Matthew 24:35 our King says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” Is this to be taken literally? Is there another way to take it? Is not implicit in this saying that He shall preserve His word in this world and in the next? Do the teachings of the Lord Jesus have bearing on our view of the New Testament text?
Isaiah 40:8 – “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.” Is this saying applicable only in eternity, and not here in this life?
Is it not evident that in some significant areas theology precedes textual issues and may even determine them? The theology exemplified above is that God will preserve that which He has given us to live by, i.e., His word.
Will I be faulted because I put faith before my view of the Bible text (a faith which is derived
from the text) — superceding even critical issues — and have said of me I have “abandoned scholarship”? These above texts are not disputed, whatever the texttype, and so have sure standing with all parties.
I will not leave it here, however, but deal with particular contested passages, and seek to adhere to Maurice Robinson and Wm. Pierpont’s thought (from their
Introduction in
THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE ORIGINAL GREEK ACCORDING TO THE BYZANTINE / MAJORITY TEXTFORM),
A sound rational approach which accounts for all the phenomena and offers a reconstruction of the history of textual transmission is all that is demanded for any text-critical hypothesis.
Obviously I am not in their league — nor White’s, either — but I will do what I can, God helping me.