Following on from the post last weekend, have you ever been in the middle of a 'my bible version is better than your version' debate or theological conversation?

There are those that like versions written several hundred years ago in preference to those that are written in a hip contemporary tone. There are those that are able to read and understand in context the original language versions and those that just manage to follow a paraphrase.

Who is 'right' and who is 'wrong'? Or are we missing the point?

• What if someone enjoys a particular version?
• What if someone has only an average reading level?
• What if you go to a particular church and they only read from one version?
  Turning up with another would be like attending a fine art class with a welding torch and visor - the wrong tools for the job.
• What if someone reads from a foreign language version that you don't even know how to 'rate'?
• Do you tend to use whatever version the passage sounds best in to support your own concepts or understanding?


Now that question ruffled your feathers a bit didn't it.

I know - been there, done that - proof-texted.

Can you even read the canon of scripture and get anything out of it without knowing the writer? The man one and the God one.

The man is he who writes the physical historical story of the greater spiritual one: "God came, God saw, God conquered" . Without there being a spiritual reason for the story it would be nothing more than a 'dear diary' of 40 different dead dudes.

So how does knowing God change that.

Its a bit like, knowing your dad, brother or neighbour....they each have their own particular mannerisms, way of saying things, interests and goals. As your relationship with each develops you have shared experiences that are the fibre upon which the present plays out.

So when your dad writes you a letter when you are overseas and says "the washing line fell over" you understand that it was the one that he put up 3 summers ago much to the chagrin of your mother, and that toppled over on the day after he concreted it in due to gale force wind gusts.

What he says is important, yes, but its the relationship and memories that you have in common that provide the detailed understanding of what this really means.

Isn't the bible and God like this too? You can read what is written in your choice of translations and understand that words through your modern day experiences or ideas, but you do not necessarily understand the historical cultural context in which they were written. And unless you have a relationship with God and understand his heart - his innermost love for you, then could you be missing the point entirely?