Aug
25
Scripture Excision
Filed Under Devotional
If you surgically remove Scripture from its context, you can make it appear to support just about any idea. Like statistics, it’s all of the footnotes and details that tell you if the postulate is defensible.
Consider this quote from Paul detailing some recent personal events to Timothy:
“Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.
At my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.” 2 Timothy 4:14-16 NKJV
This seems to expose some vengeance in Paul’s tone. He seems to be looking forward to Alexander’s comeuppance while also hoping for mercy for some others who left him alone in court. That’s from the New King James.
The New American Standard reads this way:
“Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.” 2 Timothy 4:14 NASB
That sounds more passive on Paul’s part, as if there’s nothing he can do about it. That feeling gets even softer with the New Living Translation
“Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done.” 2 Timothy 4:14 NLT
In this case, Paul is not only saying that the Lord will take care of the consequences, but he seems to also be saying that knowing this fact softens the blows. It’s as if knowing that God will take care of the injustice makes it more bearable.
So, where do we stand? Is Paul vindictive? Passive? or, has he already begun to let those actions go knowing that God will deal with Alexander?
I think we can analyze Paul’s personality and heart through the rest of his writings to know. What analysis like this shows us is that the translation isn’t easy and the right answer is somewhere in between all of these choices.
One thing we know for sure, though, is that the right conclusion will not contradict the rest of Scripture. So, if we choose see Paul as vindictive, we would have a hard case to argue because that’s not his style anywhere else and he knew the facts to be otherwise. He knows that justice is for God to mete out.
We cannot use Paul’s example to take joy in the justice God will impart on the unsaved. We should weep for their blindness and for the life they are missing. If we know much about the rest of Scripture, we should know better.
Before you start making life decisions or theological frameworks, do a little research and be honest about what the most likely interpretation is.