According to an article last week in the Christian Post, a popular British preacher has rewritten the Ten Commandments. Moreover, the author, J. John, has introduced a related DVD teaching series, “Just 10 for Churches,” aimed at helping Christians gain a better understanding of the Ten Commandments. Reportedly, hundreds of churches are using the series and find it refreshing.
Now I don’t want to read more into J. John’s work than I should. His objective was not to rewrite the Bible, as if to say it was flawed. He has simply revised the wording of the Ten Commandments and introduced a series aimed at making the Decalogue more practical to Christians of today. But I do want to use this event to occasion some discussion on a broader level.
So do I think this is a good thing that so many churches have joined the crusade? Personally, no, I do not.
First of all, I find no fault with the Ten Commandments as currently written in the Bible. To me, they are practical as they are written, and they are as relevant to today’s culture as they were to those in the past.
My second concern has to do with what I believe about the Holy Scriptures. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” the Bible says (2 Timothy 3:16), and that’s what I believe. Though God used men to write the Bible, He is its Author. That’s what makes the Bible reliable and unique to every other literary work in the world. And to be truthful, I have read portions of some modern versions of the Bible, and the way some of the text reads is seriously flawed. In the authors’ attempts to add clarity to what God has said, they sometimes take away from or add to what He said.
Moreover, when someone unilaterally goes about rewriting portions of the Scriptures and promoting said work among body of Christ at large, there always exists the possibility of imposing on the Scriptures one’s own views or theology that differs from God’s perspective. It is the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). I vote for leaving the Word of God as it is and allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate our understanding. What about you?
Copyright © 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
Now I don’t want to read more into J. John’s work than I should. His objective was not to rewrite the Bible, as if to say it was flawed. He has simply revised the wording of the Ten Commandments and introduced a series aimed at making the Decalogue more practical to Christians of today. But I do want to use this event to occasion some discussion on a broader level.
So do I think this is a good thing that so many churches have joined the crusade? Personally, no, I do not.
First of all, I find no fault with the Ten Commandments as currently written in the Bible. To me, they are practical as they are written, and they are as relevant to today’s culture as they were to those in the past.
My second concern has to do with what I believe about the Holy Scriptures. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” the Bible says (2 Timothy 3:16), and that’s what I believe. Though God used men to write the Bible, He is its Author. That’s what makes the Bible reliable and unique to every other literary work in the world. And to be truthful, I have read portions of some modern versions of the Bible, and the way some of the text reads is seriously flawed. In the authors’ attempts to add clarity to what God has said, they sometimes take away from or add to what He said.
Moreover, when someone unilaterally goes about rewriting portions of the Scriptures and promoting said work among body of Christ at large, there always exists the possibility of imposing on the Scriptures one’s own views or theology that differs from God’s perspective. It is the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). I vote for leaving the Word of God as it is and allowing the Holy Spirit to illuminate our understanding. What about you?
Copyright © 2012 by Frank King. All rights reserved.
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