Notes from John 7:53-8:11
This week we discussed the story of the woman caught in adultery, commonly found in John 7:53-8:11. Nearly every Bible in print or online, regardless of translation, denotes that this particular passage has some significant questions surrounding it. Solid, conservative Christian scholars debate matters such as the placement of the account in the text to whether or not it is original.
Once again, we come to the issues of textual criticism and textual variants. For an introduction to this topic, refer to this post.
It would be reasonable to ask why we even spend time on matters such as these. With all the other doctrines and teachings we could be talking about, why devote multiple lessons to something that can come across as insignificant, confusing, or potentially discouraging?
Although those concerns are valid, the answer is simple. As Christians, we believe that all truth belongs to God. We believe that He has preserved His word and has done so through the languages and media throughout the generations. We believe that our Bible is inspired, authoritative, and true.
We also must understand that there are parts of the Bible, albeit less than one-percent, that we have questions about regarding accuracy to the original manuscripts. These variations don’t change any major doctrines, and scholars don’t see them as compromising the integrity of the Bible.
So, why do we spend time on matters such as these?
- We can’t hide from the truth. If our oldest and most reliable texts disagree with later texts, including those that were available to the translators of the Authorized Version, we have to acknowledge that slight corrections for the sake of accuracy should be made.
- We have to be honest. Scrutiny over information is what we demand of our doctors, lawyers, and accountants. As we present the gospel through the words of the Bible, those who we witness to may very well ask about the asterisks and parenthetical notes in the text. Our awareness of these issues, which are plain and available to all, is important.
- We should love God’s word. The Bible is not God, but it is His word. Psalm 119 is one long example of the high regard we should have for this special revelation. Accordingly, we should show the kind of care and attention to detail that we would with anything else in this world. We should know it better, so we can better know Him.
Ultimately, the times that matters of variants come up in Bible study are minimal. When we do encounter them, we have opportunities to know more about Biblical transmission, church history, and the sufficiency of scripture. We can be thankful that our Bible is inspired, authoritative, and true. Most of all, we can glorify God that He revealed His word to us.
