Battle Over the Bible
It is sadly common among ministers to add a word and subtract
a word from the passage, or in some way debase the language of
sacred writ. Our reverence for the Great Author of scripture
should forbid all mauling of His Words. NO ALTERATION OF
SCRIPTURE CAN BY ANY POSSIBILITY BE AN IMPROVEMENT. Today it is
still the self-same mighty Word of God that was in the hands of
our Lord Jesus. If this book be not infallible where shall we
find infallibility? We have given up the Pope, for he has
blundered often and terrible, but we shall set up instead of him
a horde of little popelings, fresh from college. Are these
correctors of scripture infallible?...All possibility of
certainty is transfered from the spiritual man to a class of
persons is pretentious, but who do not even pretend to
spirituality. We shall be gradually so bedoubted and becriticized
that only a few of the most profound will know what is bible and
what is not, and they will dictate to the rest of us. I have no
more faith in their mercy than I do in there accuracy. They will
rob us of all that we hold most dear, and glory in the cruel
deed. This same "reign of terror" we will not endure,
for we still believe that God reveals Himself to babes rather to
the wise and prudent...
Do you see why men would lower the degree in inspiration of Holy
Writ, and would fain reduce it to an infinitesimal Quantity? It
is because the truth of God is to be supplanted. Whenever a man
begins to lower your view of inspiration, it is because he has a
trick to play, which is not easily performed in the light. To
those who belittle inspiration and inerrancy we will give place
by subjection, no, not for an hour!
~ By C. H. Spurgeon in 1891. Just one year before he died and ten years after the first modern version, the Revised Standard version was produced. I wonder what he would say about fundamentalists who say that no translation or version can be inspired?