LEGASI.tv: Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go: Luke & Acts (2007) by International Bible Society, Review-Maybe

Sunday, February 28, 2021

Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go: Luke & Acts (2007) by International Bible Society, Review-Maybe

Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go: Luke & Acts (2007) by International Bible Society

I think I heard first from the late David Pawson that chapter divisions in the Bible are added later in the year around 1227. When I checked the internet, it was done by Stephen Langton, an Archbishop of Canterbury. The Wycliffe English Bible of 1382 was the first Bible to use this method and since then, nearly all Bible translations have followed Langton’s divisions (then about 200 to 300 years later, verse divisions were added). It is NOT inspired by God in a sense like the Scripture but it is helpful for 1) Quotations, 2) Memorisations, and 3) References. It is easier if I say, "Let's turn to the Gospel according to Luke chapter 22 verse 10" than to say, "Let's turn to somewhere in the middle of the Gospel according to Luke."

But there are, of course, weaknesses with chapter and verse divisions. First, you'll miss the context of the passage of the Scripture easily when it is divided wrongly. For example, in Matthew 16:28, when Jesus said "some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom" is fulfilled just after that in Matthew 17:1-13 through Jesus' transfiguration. Many people argue the meaning of Matthew 16:28 when all they have to do is continue reading the next chapter! Secondly, you'll assume what the Scripture said isolatedly instead of as a whole. For example, Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them", is in the context of church discipline from verse 15 not a general promise for any prayer meeting per se. Thirdly, you'll see the Scripture as a religious document only instead of the story of redemption ultimately. For example, when Zakir Naik lectures against Christianity, he always quotes like this, "Chapter [bla bla bla] verse [bla bla bla] said..." When I paused the YouTube videos and search some of the verses that he mentions, it was always out of context. To put it mildly, the person of Jesus of his version is very abstract here and there instead of the real God-man who enter into the world history. We too must be careful not to do the same. Don't let chapter and verse divisions distract you from seeing the big picture, the drama, the story of redemption.

So you see, there are pros and cons of having these divisions in our modern Bible. With this long introduction, let me say something about this book Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go. It is actually the compilation of the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the apostles without chapter and verse divisions. Church historians claim that Luke and Acts are two volumes of a single work which traces the story of Christianity from its beginnings in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ up to the middle of the first century AD. I read it like a novel, only that it is not works of fiction but the truth continuation. The translation is from Today's New International Version (TNIV) and I love it!