Treating
the Old and New Testaments with Respect.
All
words found in any language have meaning based on how they are used in
sentences. Words mean something, and the
writers of Scripture, who were inspired to write sentences under the direct
(plenary) inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote exactly what they meant to say. It does not make any sense to suppose that an
inspired writer of Scripture would have used words that meant exactly what he
did not intend to say. Misunderstandings
of Scripture are most often the result of the reader not having a grasp of the
original language; an understanding of the meaning of the words; or an
understanding of how the inspired writers used these words in the context of
writing Scripture.
When
I commit my beliefs to pen and ink, it is possible that I spend more time with
the English dictionary, Bible language dictionaries, and lexicons than I do
writing my own thoughts. My writings are
far from inspired, but that does not mean that I do not labor over each word,
phrase and sentence. I would be greatly offended if my readers were to suppose
that I had intended to write the opposite meaning of my intent. So, if a writer expects readers to trust his
supposed meanings of the original Bible words in his writings, that author must
treat the ancient inspired writings of the Old and New Testaments with much
respect.
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