Red Letter

“He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.  I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” (John 12:48-50)

On our book shelves are many Bibles that have the recorded spoken words of Jesus in red.  Because of these “red letter editions,” many have decided that only the words in red are important.  After all, didn’t Jesus say, “The word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day” (John 12:48c)?  So can any other words in the Bible have any real significance?  We also hear statements like, “Well, Paul wrote that,” or “John wrote that” putting their letters in realm of human authorship.  All the other words of the Bible that Jesus didn’t speak and aren’t in red are of lesser importance and as such may have no real relevance to us.

Thomas Jefferson reworked the New Testament by clipping out the parts he didn’t like, particularly the parts about miracles and the resurrection.  Thomas Jefferson is not alone.  Many others have chosen to ignore or remove the parts that they disagree with.  “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,” (II Timothy 4:3). 

Yet we are told plainly, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (II Timothy 3:16a).  Peter tells us that no prophecy of Scripture was made by an act of human will or interpretation, “but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (II Peter 1:20-21).

Jesus said that He spoke just as the Father commanded Him (John 12:50b).  In other words, God gave Jesus the words to speak while Jesus walked on the earth.  In speaking of a role of the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you” (John 16:13-14).  Jesus tells us that the words of the writers of the New Testament are His words given to them by the Holy Spirit.

Paul says in I Corinthians 2:13 that the words he spoke are not man’s words, but God’s words taught by the Holy Spirit.  Are the other words of the New Testament that are not in red print of any less importance?  All are the words of Jesus and of God.  Men did not make these up.  Every one of these words is what God wants us to know, and as such, is of vast importance!  “Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom we shall go?  You have the words of eternal life’” (John 6:68).  We must pay attention to all the words of the Bible and not cut out those we don’t like.  All are Scripture!  Where else can we go?

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Great heavenly Father, we praise You for giving to us the words of eternal life.  Father, God help us to commit them to our hearts and to live our lives governed by them.  In the name of our Savior Jesus.          ~ Ed

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Ed Wittlif ~ Denver, Colorado                                 (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)    (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)