Would you purchase a Bible that was missing an entire page? Not many would, I suppose, but when compared to the Bibles published in Reformation times, most modern versions are actually missing about that much content. Twelve verses from the end Mark’s Gospel are missing. An additional twelve verses from John’s Gospel are missing. Sixteen other verses are usually found missing and several more words and verses have either been deleted or noted as questionable.

I recently received a catalogue from a book distributor that included a discount section titled “slightly imperfect” and, yes, there were several Bibles listed.
Obviously, the phrase “slightly imperfect” was intended a reference to cosmetic defects, but it got me thinking about more substantive imperfections that no publishers dare acknowledge while advertising their Bibles.
Would you purchase a Bible that was missing an entire page? Not many would, I suppose, but when compared to the Bibles published in Reformation times, most modern versions are actually missing about that much content.
Twelve verses from the end Mark’s Gospel are missing. An additional twelve verses from John’s Gospel are missing. Sixteen other verses are usually found missing and several more words and verses have either been deleted or noted as questionable.
Many seek to minimize these discrepancies by speaking only in terms of the percentage of material missing. The forty verses referenced above constitute less than one-quarter percent of the whole. However, if you compare the amount of missing material to the length of some books in Scripture, the discrepancy appears as more significant.
The forty missing verses contain eight hundred and fifty-four words. That’s more than the prophecy of Obadiah. That’s more than the Epistle of Jude. That’s more than Paul’s Epistle to Philemon. That’s more than the second and third Epistles of John combined. Would you buy a Bible that was advertised with this disclaimer: Slightly imperfect, missing only one or two epistles?
Modern scholars will undoubtedly take some umbrage with such argumentation, but that is only because they believe the missing verses never belonged there in the first place. It is their position that the otherwise pious scribes in ancient times intentionally corrupted the Bible by adding words to it.
This view, however, is out of accord with what the Reformed have confessed for centuries; namely that God not only inspired the scriptures, but also kept them pure in all ages by his singular care and providence (Westminster Confession of Faith, I.8).
These are two very different views of the transmission of Holy Scripture. One assumes early corruption and the other presupposes providential preservation. Slightly imperfect Bibles seem to betray a slightly imperfect confidence in the promise of Christ, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35).
Christian McShaffrey is a Minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Pastor of Five Solas Church (Reedsburg, WI). He also serves as the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of the Midwest (OPC), and executive director of the Kept Pure in All Ages conference.

Written by A.W. Workman |
Friday, December 31, 2021
My encouragement to my colleagues (and myself) is that we need to learn to fight more like Romans. Let the short-term teams fight like Gauls (but clothed, please). This is because their battle is much briefer, more like a sprint. But for those of us who hope to be here for decades, we need to learn the kind of posture and pace that enables us to endure a very long war full of very long engagements. To jump historical eras, we are in WWII Stalingrad, not in the fall of Paris.

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a number of my colleagues on the importance of sustainable sacrifice (a term borrowed from author Christopher Ash in his book, Zeal Without Burnout). Together, we looked at 2nd Timothy 2:1-7, and specifically, Paul’s examples of the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer. Each example would have communicated to the original audience a lifestyle of sacrifice, as well a lifestyle of disciplined pace – long-term labor that requires a long-term posture.
While preparing for this talk I decided to include a historical illustration from Roman military history. Julius Caesar conquered the Gauls (or Celts) of modern day France between the years 58 and 50 BC. These now famous battles, called the Gallic wars, made the Gauls of western Europe (relatives of those Galatians down in Asia minor) Roman subjects. Eventually they would become models of Roman assimilation, more Roman than the Romans as it were. But in the beginning they were something terrifying to behold – particularly in battle.
The warriors of Gaul tended to be much taller than Roman soldiers, with blonde hair (often bleached even blonder) and long mustaches. Sources say they would charge into battle naked – save for a metal band around their neck – and painted in blue war paint. Their preferred way to fight was to charge the enemy line, fearless and screaming, caught up in some kind of battle rage. This would have been a terrifying thing to behold and try to withstand, and much discipline would have been required to hold the line. In the back of a Roman soldier’s mind, they might also be thinking about how the Gauls liked to collect the heads of their defeated enemies and decorate their houses with them. The Roman consciousness was also haunted by the memory of the Gauls who had sacked Rome hundreds of years earlier.
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Whatever ruling power and prevailing culture exists in a given locale, the people of God have their directions from His hand and we are to do our best, by His grace and help, to obey him, no matter the cost (and it could be very costly).  If our influence has diminished in this American empire, maybe it will be of help to build back from the rubble that seems inevitable.

One of the most difficult eras for the people of God in the Old Testament is when they found themselves in exile many miles away from their homeland. A succession of world powers culminated with a vast Babylonian empire engulfing a weakened Israel. For the faithful of Israel, those who loved God and trusted Him, the time in Babylonian challenged their ability to follow God’s standards. The pressures to assimilate into the godless Babylonian culture was constant.
In some sense, American Christians are increasingly finding themselves in a modern Babylon. Modern American culture has taken a stark turn away from biblical views and practices and in many cases stands in total opposition. What are Christians to do in such a time and place? Here is the prophet Jeremiah’s timeless counsel to faithful Israelites (those seeking to honor God’s Word) who found themselves in a pagan land that was antagonistic to their faith in the true and living God:
“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.  Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.  But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. Jeremiah 29:4–7
Generally, we (Christians) are to do our best to settle in and be productive citizens where God has placed us. This does not mean we should be passive in our actions to impact the culture for Christ. Frankly, I think those kinds of efforts have been happening for years. At this point, it has not seemed to be God’s will that our efforts drastically influence the way people act and think in America. So what do we do when things seem to be sliding against us?
Back to Jeremiah’s counsel to faithful Israelites living in Babylon: We are to honor God’s order for life and family, generation to generation, no matter what madness surrounds us culturally. Also, we should be crying out to the Lord for him to rescue “the city” from godless leadership and an increasingly blind and foolish citizenry. We seem to be living in a society that is in free fall toward some kind of collapse. I might be wrong. I hope I am wrong.
The history of earthly empires is repetitive. Nations that perceive themselves as great and above God’s Law are eventually humbled by a nation or nations that are “greater.” It seems like our country thinks itself above God’s wise rule. The kinds of actions taken recently at a legislative level reveal an arrogance about our societal autonomy. There is a notion that “we” can decide for ourselves what is ethical and right.
The ultimate slap in the face of biblical ethics was the naming of a recent wicked piece of legislation, “The Respect for Marriage Act.”  This legislation elevates a rebellious society’s desired practice over God’s designed foundational order for civilization. There is no doubt, America is an empire in serious decline. Our national fate will be no different than the godless empires of the past if there is not a sweeping turn from evil soon.
Assyria was “great” until Babylon became greater.  Babylon was “great” until Persia was greater. Persia was “great” until Greece was greater. Greece was “great” until Rome was greater, etc., etc.
Whatever ruling power and prevailing culture exists in a given locale, the people of God have their directions from His hand and we are to do our best, by His grace and help, to obey him, no matter the cost (and it could be very costly).  If our influence has diminished in this American empire, maybe it will be of help to build back from the rubble that seems inevitable.
How will we build back? By continuing to refer to the essence of Jeremiah 29 again.
Dr. Tony Felich is a Minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and serves as the Pastor of Redeemer PCA in Overland Park, Kansas.
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