I woke up happy today, but sad too.  The gospel woke me up as so often before.  That happens on and on throughout my whole life.  The bride is told by her bridegroom, “Under the apple tree I awakened you” (S. of S. 8:5).  I too am being awakened under a certain tree, the cross, and its blessed teachings.  The blunders of the past often overwhelm and scare me.  The Spirit of God directs me to just one glorious answer. The cross! It was all dealt with there.  No further “repair” is needed.  It´s finished!

But I´m also sad.  I just got another “free” translation (paraphrase) of the Bible from our old Bible Society from where I bought many good bibles.  But this one is a disaster. “The Living Bible” (from the U.S.) is a paraphrase all right but has done a good job, I think.  But this cannot be said of the new Danish paraphrase. It should warningly be called “The Dead Bible.

It has done away with the word “sin” which is now watered down to “mistakes”, and the word “grace” is likewise not there.  Some  sentimental, psychological words are used instead.   The  most precious word I know of, namely “It is finished!”  (Greek:  “telestai”) is supplanted with a sentence equivalent to something like “Now everything is what it should be.”   Close to saying, Now it´s all okay!

It´s cover is beautiful and smiles at you, but it´s with a smile of deceit.

Oh, what an ill-treatment of the word of God!.  This caricature of the Bible is now being marketed as “Denmark´s New Bible” .The event will be  solemnly celebrated on March 22 in the Copenhagen Cathedral where our queen will be present with the crème of the clergy.

However, we still have the 1948 edition which is good and it follows me day and night.  It awakened as a young boy, and it has thrown me into the arms of Jesus who said this about the Holy Scriptures, “It is they that bear witness of me” (John 5:39).  If that witness was not there, we wouldn´t have a Bible anyway.  Do cherish it!  Use it! Let its witness be in you!

March 8, 2020 - jn