Dear Jason,

I noticed that Mr. White or someone has removed this video from YouTube.com, so I haven't been able to watch it as it says, "We're sorry, this video is no longer available." I cannot comment on Mr. White was saying, but here is some Scriptural admonition for your edification consistent with your question about this verse.

The Apostle Paul instructs us that:

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfectly, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

I would like to emphasize the first mandate, Scripture is profitable for doctrine, the reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness all hinge upon that prior mandate toward Scripture teaching profitable doctrine so that the man of God may be perfectly, throughly furnished unto all good works. While those that, for whatever reasons, support variants that diminish doctrinal teachings, Paul tells us that in the mouth of two or three witness shall every word be established. (2 Corinthians 13:1)

1 Timothy 1:1 says that Paul was "an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ”, and in 1 Timothy 5:1 & 19 it is written, "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father...Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses."

When it comes to manuscript evidence, the argument generally is that older manuscripts don't have a witness to this or that verse, and later ones do, hence the later ones are scribal interpolations of other books. And it is important to remember that the manuscripts that they defer to ultimately, as witnesses, disagree with themselves so much that one cannot vouch for their veracity.

Generally, the argument against Colossians 1:14, says it is an interpolation with Ephesians 1:7 because both have "through his blood". This presuppositional concept in which the text is approached is derived from Griesbach and the German critical school, Letis tells us:

"Griesbach had as one of his canons: "When there are many variant readings in one place, that reading which is more than the others manifestly favors the dogmas of the orthodox is deservedly regarded as suspicious."

Johann Jakob Griesbach, Novum Tesamentum Graece (Halle, 1796), p 62 as cited by Dr. Theodore Letis, EF Hills Contribution to the Ecclesiastical Text p 91

In other words, if the Scripture is too consistent toward sound doctrine, the orthodox Christians are accused of altering the text in favor of sound doctrine, and hence the critical schools are correcting these doctrinally polluted texts back to the original testimony of the Apostle Paul, which supposedly doesn't bear witness to the reading in question. This is their work, that all scripture is not profitable for doctrine, that in the mouth of two or three doubtful witnesses every word may be brought into question.

Let's look further into what Paul tells us about doctrines and elders. In 1 Timothy 3:2-13 we find the qualifications for being an elder, one of which is being blameless. Pastor Archie Allison in his work, "The Biblical Qualifications of Elders and Deacons, An Exegesis of 1 Timothy 3:2-13" tells us what blameless means:

"By “blameless” the Scripture does not mean that a man must be sinless
in order to be an overseer in the church of God. To be blameless is to be
irreproachable. No one should be able to lay a charge against an overseer
and make it stick. To be blameless does not mean that one is able to evade
accusation or conviction. Rather, a man is blameless or above reproach when
his words and conduct conform to the holy commandments of God in
Scripture, so that he cannot justly be accused or convicted of any sin...The overseer’s reputation should be above reproach. No one should be able to lay hold of him or assail him or reproach him because of his sins, whether in speech, conduct, or doctrine."

Paul admonishes us concerning true doctrines, in 1 Timothy 4:6-7:

"If thou put the brethern in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, wherefore unto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness."

He continues 1 Timothy 4:16 declaring:

"Take heed unto thyself, and, unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."

and again in 1 Timothy 6:1-5:

"Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they that have believing masters, let them not despise them, because they are brethren; but rather do them service, because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. These things teach and exhort. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself."

and again regarding Elders in Titus 1:9:

"Holding fast the faithful words as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision. Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake...Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine...In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

Paul tells explicitly, then, that Scripture is given for doctrine, he places tremendous weight upon it and goes on to teach us to hold to true doctrine, and to measure men by this standard, and each time exhorting us unto truth while warning us to not listen to profane words, wives tales, jewish fables, commandments of men and questions and disputing's about words.

Should we hold our men that enter the offices of Elder to a higher standard than the Scripture's from the Apostle's themselves? Or should we receive the Scriptures as being blameless and not receiving accusations against them without two or three witnesses in which the character and veracity can be vouched for, besides merely the age of a manuscript?

If you were an Elder and someone in the Church brought accusations against you, does the testimony of an older man against you outweigh the testimony of a younger man for you? Paul told Timothy to "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." 1 Timothy 4:12-13 Should we not receive younger testimonies that meet these qualifications over older testimonies that are so inconsistent amongst themselves that no one may vouch for their veracity?

Is it plausible that the Apostle in his letters to the Ephesians and to the Colossians told them the same thing in the exact same words, intending to give them separately the exact same doctrine with the exact same emphasis, since he placed such weight upon holding to sound doctrine and that he would establish those teachings with two or three written witnesses of the truth?

Are we supposed to believe that Providential Preservation is the witness of the Holy Spirit through history as giving to true and faithful Protestant Churches His Holy Scripture, which through the ages is tattered and torn and rests truly preserved in late manuscripts, or that the pristine older manuscripts that don't show the signs of use, nor more importantly the witness of the Holy Spirit, is finally going to be restored after centuries of continual use of the prior texts?

In the Westminster Confession of Faith we are told that the Hebrew and Greek have been protected by the Lord..."and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical; so as, in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto them." WCF 1:8

What is the controversies of religion in Colossians 1:14, and even if it could be proved that it was an interpolation, what heresy is it teaching?

Consider the presupposition of the critical camp, they do not believe that the word of God has been kept pure in all ages, but rather that is was kept pure in the oldest manuscripts and corrupted toward orthodox doctrines through the ages in latest ones. That Protestant and faithful Churches have had corrupted Bibles for centuries, and their corruptions are toward sound doctrine.

What is a man supposed to think of men that labor unceasingly to tell us, "Thus the Lord didn't say..." about texts that teach this or that doctrine, compared to the admonishments of Scripture on how elders are supposed to behave in word, deed and doctrine?

With their mouths they tell us their works are not diminishing the doctrines, but your own testimony here is that their works breeds doubt in the heart and lacked confidence to stand upon the historical Protestant text? What are we supposed to think of such men that rebuke the Apostles with witnesses that they cannot vouch for and deliver unto us nothing more than their opinions, which they assert as unassailable truth, regarding documents that span centuries, upon multiple continents, and which ultimately have nothing but their supposition and speculation to offer?

Without proof of two or three witnesses in which the plaintiff can vouch for their veracity, I will not because I cannot, justly receive these accusations against the testimony of the Apostle Paul as preserved in the historic Protestant texts.

In Christ's Bonds,


Thomas

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Thomas Weddle
Member, Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church
Evansville, Indiana