“It is impossible to overstate the importance of these two things — unfeigned faith, and the Word of God. This is the Divine provision for all the errors, and all the evils, and all the hostile influences of the present day.”
“There is a great shaking going on all around us; the foundations are being displaced; ancient landmarks are being removed; institutions are being assailed; confusion is written on all things ecclesiastical and political. There is only one thing that can sustain us in times like these, and that is living faith in the living God.”
“It is the design of the enemy to quench the lamp of Inspiration, to get rid of the supernatural and miraculous in the Word of God: to break down its authority and integrity by minimising differences of translations; for, if the Bible is not the Word of God, but only “contains” it, then one version can contain it, or as much of it, as another. If there is no such thing as “THE Bible”, then “A Bible” or any Bible will do.”
“The enemy cares not by what agency he gains his great end of making the Word of God of none effect. The enemy will use any instrument to accomplish his purposes: and the greater and the better the agent, the more effectually will he obtain his ends.”
Because of deficiencies of text and translation, the Society rejected versions based on the Latin Vulgate, and the Revised Version based on a form of the Greek text developed by 19th century textual criticism. For the same reasons the Society has not adopted any of the more recent modern versions.
The Purity of the Text of Holy Scripture
Readers will remember that in a former issue of this Magazine there was printed a defence of the Authorised Version of the Bible, by the Rev. T. H. Brown of the Trinitarian Bible Society. Readers will be aware too of the plain reason for that article being printed in this Magazine, namely that we as a church hold fast to the Authorised Version as being the best translation of the Bible. It is highly disappointing to find in the December issue of the Banner of Truth monthly Magazine an article by a Free Church minister questioning the publication of the said article in our Magazine, and, what is a degree
worse, the “Banner of Truth” seems to be discounting the fact that the Trinitarian Bible Society is committed not to translate versions of the Scripture other than the A.V. It is not my intention to attempt an answer along the lines of Textual Criticism for Rev. T. H. Brown is well able to do so if he thinks it at all necessary. I am simply bringing before you the statements of John Owen on the whole matter of the worth of the disputes about the Text.
He says —
Of all the inventions of Satan to draw off the minds of men from the Word of God, this of decrying the authority of the originals seems to me the most pernicious. But the mind of man being exceedingly vain, glorious, curious, uncertain, after a door to reputation and renown by this kind of learning was opened in the world, it quickly spread itself over all bounds and limits of sobriety. We affirm that the whole Word of God in every letter and title, as given from Him by inspiration, is preserved without corruption. God by His providence preserving the whole entire.
The Scriptures of the Old and New Testament were immediately and entirely given out by God Himself, His mind being in them represented unto us without the least interveniency of such mediums and ways as were capable of giving change or alteration to the least iota or syllable; so by His good and merciful dispensation, in His love to His Word and church, His whole Word, as first given out by Him is preserved unto us entire in the original languages; which, shining in its own beauty and lustre (as also in all translations, so far as they faithfully represent the originals) it manifests and evidences unto the consciences of men, without other foreign help or assistance, its divine original and authority.
It is granted that the original autographs of Moses, the prophets, and the apostles, are in all probability lost out of the world. For the first translators of the originals we say not that it was impossible for them to make a mistake. Religious care and diligence in their work, with a due reverence of Him with whom they had to do, is all we ascribe unto them. Whatever may be looked for from the religious care and diligence of men lying under a loving and careful aspect from the promise and providence of God, may be justly expected for them who undertook that work.
Translations contain the Word of God and are the Word of God perfectly or imperfectly according as they express the words, sense, and meaning of those originals. For the Old Testament, the security we have that no mistakes were voluntarily or negligently brought into the text before the coming of our Saviour who to declare all things, is that He not once reproves the Jews on that account, when yet for their false glosses on the Word He spares them not.
There must have been millions of copies of the N.T. Let it be remembered that the vulgar copy we use was the public possession of many generations — that upon the invention of printing it was in actual authority throughout the world with them that used and understood that language. It would quickly appear how small the number is of these varieties in the Greek copies of the New Testament which may pretend unto any consideration under the state and title of various lections and of how very little importance to weaken in any measure my former assertion concerning the care and providence of God in the preservation of the gospel. We may have full assurance that we enjoy the whole revelation of His will in the copies abiding amongst us. We went from Rome under the conduct of the purity of the originals. I wish none have a mind to return thither again under the pretence of these corruptions.”
A. E. W. MacD.