All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. [2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NLT)]
When Old Testament passages are quoted in the New Testament, the quoted verses frequently do not match their source. Trained as a Pharisee, Paul should have been able to quote Hebrew scripture word for word but he frequently doesn’t. Jesus certainly should have known every word written in Scripture and yet, like Paul, His quotes from the Hebrew Bible often were imprecise. We find quotation discrepancies in New Testament accounts, as well. Although Jesus’ words during the last supper are quoted in Matthew, Mark, Luke and 1 Corinthians, none record the exact same words. Who’s wrong?
The problem is that neither ancient Hebrew nor Greek used any punctuation. With no quotation marks, we can’t accurately know when speakers changed or whether something is an exact quote or simply a paraphrase, summary, or explanation. The punctuation marks we see in our modern Bibles were added later by translators. The placement of those quotation marks, however, is just an editorial guess—hopefully a Spirit-inspired and educated one—but still a guess and translators differ as to if and where they should be placed.
When looking at John 3, we see how the variations in quotation mark placement can cause us to interpret John 3:16 in two ways. While speaking with Nicodemus about being born again, Jesus said the Son of Man had to be lifted up so that “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” [3:15] Since many translations (like the ESV and NLT) do not place an end quote mark after that verse, the following one, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” appears to directly quote Jesus. In those versions, His words continue all the way until an end quote is placed after verse 21.
On the other hand, translations like the New International Version (NIV) and the Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) place an end quote after verse 15 meaning that John 3:16 is no longer a direct quote of Jesus’ words; instead, the verse is John’s inspired comments on Jesus’ words. We really don’t know whether “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” are the words of Jesus or John. They are, however, the words of God!
Since the original writers didn’t use quotation marks, neither does the King James Version (KJV). Considering quotation marks imperfect additions to the original words and not wanting to give the misleading impression that something is a direct quote when it may not be, it has no quotation marks. (The modernized New King James Version (NKJV), however, does use them.)
Regardless of which translation we use, we really have no way of truly knowing whether we’re reading an actual word-for-word quotation or something else. The Bible’s authors weren’t being slipshod or inaccurate; they didn’t have today’s grammar rules that a distinction should be made between direct and indirect quotations. Rather than using exact quotations, they often intended their statements to be summaries of God’s truths. When we find what seem to be discrepancies in Scripture, we must remember that the quotation marks we find there may or may not be properly placed. Nevertheless, whether it’s a direct or indirect quote, Scripture remains a reliable report of the words that were spoken so many centuries ago because every word in it was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Regardless of inconsistencies in the words or punctuation, we will never find inconsistencies in the message; rather than contradictory, the various accounts are complementary. The Bible does not contradict itself because it is the Word of God!
It is as impossible to understand the Scriptures without the Spirit’s help as it is to read a sundial without the sun. [William Gurnall]
Having frequently been told by her elders, “If you get your reward on earth, you won’t get it in heaven!” a friend said it still remains difficult for her to accept praise or compliments. Her experience reminded me of my college roommate Marilyn who, like my friend, received large doses of guilt, shame, hellfire, and brimstone in her strict Christian upbringing. She reminded me of The Nun’s Story and Sister Luke who tried so hard to be a perfect nun who flawlessly kept her vows. But, even when Luke succeeded at following a rule of cloistered life, she repented of the pride she felt at her success. So afraid of inadvertently sinning, the nun even felt guilty when she caught a glimpse of her face reflected in a window! Like her, Marilyn kept taking her spiritual temperature and searching for some hidden transgression for which she should repent. If something was fun or entertaining, Marilyn was sure a hidden sin lurked in it. Both the fictional nun and coed became so focused on their real and imagined spiritual faults that they missed out on the joy of the Lord.
To some people, today is known as Groundhog Day but, because it is the fortieth day after Christmas, many Christians know it as Candlemas, the Presentation of our Lord, or the Purification of Mary. According to Mosaic law, the mother of a boy child was considered “unclean” for seven days following the birth of her child. She then had to wait another 33 days to be purified from her bleeding before she could enter the Temple. (If she bore a girl child, her purification time was doubled.) Once a woman’s time of purification was over, she was to come to the Temple and offer up a sacrifice of both a lamb and a pigeon or turtledove. If the family couldn’t afford the lamb, a turtledove or pigeon could be substituted. Forty days after Jesus’ birth, in fulfillment of this law, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to make their offering and present their son to the Lord.
Nowadays, we tend to think of “religion” as the institutionalized system of religious principles, beliefs, ceremonies, and practices to which we’re committed. The religion of which James spoke, however, isn’t limited to things like denomination or synod, liturgy, traditions, rituals, or special observances. Religion, as used by James, is the belief in, service to, and worship of God and encompasses our entire being. The ERV’s translation as “worship,” the NIRV’s as “beliefs and way of life,” the NTE’s and CEB’s of “devotion,” and even the Passion’s translation as “true spirituality” better capture James’ meaning. He is telling us that real religion is our way of life—the way we express our devotion to God hour after hour, day after day, in all that we think, speak, and do.
The church in which I was raised recited a general confession during each service and I sometimes wondered why we bothered to confess. I reasoned that, since God sees everything we do, He already knows what sinners we are and what sins we’ve committed so why bother to tell Him what He already knows? Eventually, I understood that, while God knows what we’ve done wrong, He wants us to know it, too. Until we repent, how can we be redeemed? Until we acknowledge our guilt, how can we be pardoned? We must admit why we need forgiveness before we can accept it.
Every Thursday, my next-door neighbor has a standing two-hour appointment at the beach with a friend who lives about an hour north of here. Although marked on her calendar like a Bible study, committee meeting, doctor’s appointment, or book club, there’s nothing purposeful or especially important about their meeting. As she explained, the two simply meet to “catch up.” Unlike my neighbor, I’m more of a “let’s get down to business” than “let’s chat” type and, when I call or meet with someone, there’s usually a specific purpose for the contact. A few days ago, however, an old friend from our home town called for no reason other than to “catch up.” Neither of us had any important news; we just shared a little of what is going on in our lives. While the conversation accomplished nothing (and took me from my work), it was a much-appreciated blessing.
Devotions of the Heart 