Devotion 

The Word of God

Frances Taylor 

If there's one thing I know about Christians and the Bible, is that there is an ongoing debate about whether it is the word of God or the word of men, and what that means. We all agree that the Bible is the living revealed word of God, but! There are wide differences in how that is interpreted. There are some who believe that every word of the Bible was dictated to someone who wrote it down. For others it is purely men's thoughts. For others, men were inspired by God to write their experience of God. I don't know where you find yourself on this continuum.

For most people who believe that the Bible is inspired either word for word or as guided by God, the Bible tells God's truth. Unfortunately for those of us who speak English, we have to rely the sources we have had over the years as guides to how the Scriptures should be interpreted. I have had many people ask me which translation is correct, but there's no clear answer.

The Bible has been translated into English many times over the years. One of the first English translations that was considered reasonable accurate was the King James Version. However, we have discovered ancient documents since then that have added greatly to our understanding. Even the King James has been updated and revised. The New American Bible, the New International Version, the Good News Bible, various study Bibles and themed Bibles have been published. Some of these Bibles will include those Old Testament Books and portions of books that were originally written in Greek, and some will not. The reason for this goes back to Martin Luther who decided that the Old Testament should contain only what was in the Jewish Hebrew Bible.

Regardless of which Bible we choose, we should read it, not hide it on a shelf, and learn from it what God wants us to learn. As the living Word, it has something to say to us, personally as well as collectively. Just read!

Prayer 

Thank you, Lord for giving us your word to follow. We know that you are always guiding us to the knowledge of you and of your love for us. Amen.