I wonder how many of you have ever heard of the Jefferson
Bible? It is also known as: “The Life and
Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.” It was a version of the Bible made by Thomas
Jefferson after he left office. Later in life, the retired president took a
razor and glue and cut out the parts of the New Testament that he liked and
pasted them onto the blank pages of a book, thereby creating his own bible. The
Scriptures he believed were authentic and reliable, were compiled and the rest
were left out of his version altogether. Some of the more notable absences from
his compilation were the miracles of Jesus, the Resurrection, and any text that
referred to the deity of Jesus.
While this may come as a surprise to some of our readers,
the sad truth is that there is nothing new about this at all. In fact, in Jeremiah 36:23 we read of a rotten king of Judah by
the name of Jehoiakim who took exception to the inspired prophetic rebuke of
Jeremiah written on a scroll … so much so that he took a pen knife and cut it
up before throwing pieces of it in the fire.
Long have men and women thought they had the same right
as these two. Long have the masses sought to take parts of the whole and leave
the rest. Sadly, too many people treat the Word of God like a buffet line where
you can take what you want and leave the rest.
However, we do not get to pick and choose what we like
and what we don’t like. We were given 66 Inspired Books that have been
providentially compiled and Divinely preserved that rightly represent who God
is.
No one has
editorial license over the Inspired page.
What the Bible has to say about certain subjects may not
be popular. It may not be well-liked or considered progressive enough, but
nonetheless the Bible is the Bible. Moreover, from the first verse to the last,
all Scripture is “God-breathed” and is profitable for doctrine, reproof and
instruction in righteousness. That applies to “all Scripture,” not just the
parts you and I may like.
Should we care more about what society condones or what
the Sovereign of the Universe has said? Are we guilty of making excuses for the
Bible rather than just believing that an Omniscient God knows better than we? If
the Bible is the Bible, should we shy away from preaching on such subjects as:
hell, eternity, homosexuality, grace or repentance?
Either the Bible is God’s Word, or we have not heard our
Creator speak to us.
Either Genesis 1 is true
and God created all things, or else God is a liar and His Word undependable.
Either John 14:6 is
correct and Jesus Christ is the Only Way to the Father, or else we have no hope
for eternity.
Either the Bible is God’s Word, or there are no moral
absolutes and every man may do whatever pleases him.
Either the Bible is God’s Word and we are to read, learn,
study and seek to obey its teachings, or we are all free to choose for
ourselves what is right.
But I believe the Bible is God’s Word. And, as such, has
the Divine prerogative to tell us all how to live. The Word of God has both
blessing and cursing, both holy wrath and gracious forgiveness, and each should
be taught and preached with equal fervor.
None of us have the divine right to cut out parts and
pieces of the Word of God. Kings do not. Presidents do not. Preacher and
pastors do not. Those of us who write for this paper don’t have license to cut
out or leave off parts and pieces of verses that do not align with our
thoughts.
Long after the mortal flesh of King Jehoiakim has rotted
away … long after Thomas Jefferson’s own version of the Bible has disintegrated
into nothing but dust … the Eternal Word of the Living God will remain. The
grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of God abides forever. (Isaiah 40:8)
The Bible is God’s Word. It is God’s inspired, infallible
and inerrant Word and it may be trusted to make us wise unto salvation, through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Pastor Lewis Kiger
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