Saturday, January 12, 2013

Hiding Christ in the Translation

Today Alistair Begg was preaching on Hebrews, and how it references Psalm 8:4-6.
That Psalm at first glance has nothing to do with Christ, it's talking about man, how and where God stationed him on creation. But the writer of Hebrews takes it, even though it looks nothing like it belongs associated to the Messiah, and applies it to him anyway, with a kind of dashing boldness that challenges the reader and asks them, "Yes I quoted that. What are you going to do about it?" And the reader of that quote would look at it and be completely lost on how the Hebrews writer got from there to Christ.

But the truth is, if you understand the key principle it makes so much sense, and it's obvious. The key is this: He's everywhere. He's seen in the creation, in the stars, and the laws and conscious of men. His finger has pushed up the mountains like wet clay. When the trees shake in the winds and make that low low roaring, hissing noise together as their leaves and branches shake, that's them praising Him aloud.
He's all over the Bible, absolutely everywhere. It's not just in the obvious passages that we see Him, the Psalm 2, or Psalm 22, or 20:6, it's in all of them. He's the one who can ascend the Holy hill with clean hands in Ps 24. He's the one who doesn't walk in the way of sinners, and all He does prospers, Ps 1. He's the shepherd who makes us lie down by still waters Ps 24. He's the one who came to Earth lower than the angels that He may see all things in subjugation to Him, ps 8. Psalm 10 is His lament from the cross. Ps 51:2 is an appeal to Him. Hes the friend who sticks closer than a brother in Proverbs. I could go on, but well, you get the idea. It's all about Christ.

Then it occurred to me that there is nothing so horrid and disgusting as the NIV project. "Let's strip out all that nasty business, that vulgar, sickening, purifying male dominated prose. Let's show the world the beauty of the Bible by making it accessible to everyone, with a gender neutral approach."
But if the Bible is about Christ, then what have you done? You have wiped His fingerprints from the book about Him. I'm half surprised they didn't start rendering Jesus as she while they were at it. Look at what they did to Him!
"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor."
"Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers"

"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place the one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior."
What kind of sickness is that? They will receive? I will ascend the holy mountain? God has crowned me with glory and honor? Why not just go all the way and make even the obvious stuff about Christ about me too? We can rewrite Psalm 2: "God said to me, “You are my children; today I have become your father.”"

What theologian who loves Christ can endure this? To be among His very words that men have bent to hide Him wilts my soul. Hopefully this trend of 'inclusive gender language' will go away soon and never come back.

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