QR Covers-576.qxd 16/06/2006 22:30 Page 5 The Word of God Among All Nations THE MAGAZINE OF THE TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY ISSUE NUMBER : 576 July to September 2006 QR Covers-576.qxd 16/06/2006 22:29 Page 2 Trinitarian Bible Society Founded in 1831 for the circulation of Protestant or uncorrupted versions of the Word of God Officers of the Society General Committee: General Secretary: Mr. D. P. Rowland The Rev. M. H. Watts, Chairman Assistant General Secretary: The Rev. B. G. Felce, M.A., Vice-Chairman Mr. D. Larlham The Rev. G. Hamstra, B.A., M.Div., Vice-President Editorial Manager: Mr.G.W.Anderson Mr. D. Oldham, Vice-President Office Manager: Mr.C.A.Wood,Vice-President Mr. J. M. Wilson Pastor R. A. Clarke, B.Sc., F.C.A. Treasurer Warehouse Manager: Mr. G. Bidston Mr.I.A.Docksey Mr.G.R.Burrows,M.A. Production Manager: Mr. G. D. Buss, B.Ed. Mr.M.D.N.Thomas Pastor M. J. Harley Quarterly Record Mr.A.K.Jones Production Team General Secretary: D.P.Rowland The Rev. E. T. Kirkland, B.A., Dipl.Th. Assistant General Secretary:D.Larlham Editor: G.W.Anderson The Rev. J. MacLeod, M.A. Production Editor: Dr.D.E.Anderson Assistants to the Editor:M.J.Fenn, C.P.Hallihan, The Rev. D. Silversides R.J.Cooper Graphic Design:Stephen Talas The Rev. J. P. Thackway Circulation: J.M.Wilson TBS QR576 layout.qxd 17/06/2006 13:47 Page 1 The Word of God Among All Nations QUARTERLY RECORD THE MAGAZINE OF THE TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY Issue Number 576 July to September 2006 C ONTENTS 2 18 Annual General Meeting The Gereformeerde 2006 Bijbelstichting 40th Anniversary 3 19 Thy Law is My Delight The Treasury 6 20 Regeneration, the New Birth The Da Vinci Code: Rewriting history 9 23 Dutch Bible: The Road to the The Word of God Among All Statenvertaling Nations © Trinitarian Bible Society 2006 All rights reserved. The Trinitarian Bible Society permits reprinting of articles found in our printed and online Quarterly Record provided that prior permission is obtained and proper acknowledgement is made. TBS QR576 layout.qxd 17/06/2006 13:47 Page 2 QUARTERLY RECORD - Issue Number 576 - July to September 2006 175th Annual General Meeting to be held, God willing, at 1.00pm on Saturday, 23rd September 2006 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Elephant and Castle, London, SE1 The Rev. David Silversides PASTOR OF LOUGHBRICKLAND REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND A MEMBER OF THE GENERAL COMMITTEE OF THE TRINITARIAN BIBLE SOCIETY IS EXPECTED TO PREACH Please note: Copies of the Minutes of the Society’s Annual General Meeting held on 10th September 2005 have been dispatched to Members. Should any other friends/supporters wish to receive a copy, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. D. Larlham, Assistant General Secretary, Trinitarian Bible Society, Tyndale House, Dorset Road, London, SW19 3NN ([email protected]) TBS QR576 layout.qxd 17/06/2006 13:47 Page 3 The Magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society THY LAW IS MY DELIGHT From the Assistant General Secretary will delight myself in thy ments are my delights. statutes: I will not forget thy Psalm 119.143 Iword. Psalm 119.16 I have longed for thy salvation, O Thy testimonies also are my LORD; and thy law is my delight. delight and my counsellors. Psalm 119.174 Psalm 119.24 Make me to go in the path of thy onsider and enjoy the Scriptures above. I had the commandments; for therein do I opportunity to do so in my delight. Psalm 119.35 devotions recently. In that Cgreat 119th Psalm, devoted to the Word And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have of God, nine times the Psalmist exhibits his delight in God’s law, variously also loved. Psalm 119.47 described by the synonyms (for these Their heart is as fat as grease; but purposes) of commandments, statutes I delight in thy law. and testimonies. Psalm 119.70 Throughout the Old Testament we see Let thy tender mercies come unto similar references to the man (or woman) of God delighting in ‘the me, that I may live: for thy law is Almighty’ Job 22.26, ‘the law of the my delight. Psalm 119.77 LORD’ Psalm 1.2, ‘the LORD’ Psalm Unless thy law had been my 37.4, ‘thy comforts’ Psalm 94.19, ‘his delights, I should then have per- shadow’ (speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ) Song of Solomon 2.3, the ‘fatness’ ished in mine affliction. of God Isaiah 55.2, and ‘the sabbath’ Psalm 119.92 Isaiah 58.13. Trouble and anguish have taken Only in one place in the New Testament hold on me: yet thy command- does the Authorised Version use the 3 TBS QR576 layout.qxd 17/06/2006 13:47 Page 4 QUARTERLY RECORD - Issue Number 576 - July to September 2006 word ‘delight’ and that, tellingly, in or memorising it… If we were to bolt Romans 7.22—‘For I delight in the law our bodily food thus, we would quickly of God after the inward man’.Nowhere become ill, and that is precisely what else is the Greek verb συνηδομαι used, happens to the soul which is not proper- even translated in a different way. ly fed. What are we to learn from these obser- As I write this, I am surrounded by vations? Simply, that the Christian Bibles in English and dozens of other should have a relationship with the Holy languages. There are many around the Scriptures that goes beyond the func- world who would give anything to be tional, the prosaic, even the merely satis- allowed into this room or building and fying; as Job says in chapter 23 verse 12,‘I to take away with them just one volume have esteemed the words of his mouth in their language. I am sure that they more than my necessary food’.Similarly, would burst into tears of gratitude and David in Psalm 19.9–10, speaking of the joy at such a prospect. When we send judgments of the Lord, says, ‘More to be out the Scriptures far afield, we often desired are they than gold, yea, than receive such fulsome thanks, and we try much fine gold: sweeter also than honey to publish the pick of such letters in the and the honeycomb’—echoed again in Quarterly Record. Our speakers garner Psalm 119.103, where we read ‘How the best of these testimonies and delight sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, to pass these on to congregations and sweeter than honey to my mouth!’ assemblies up and down the land. Such words as ‘overjoyed’,‘thrilled’,‘crying Once we grasp the fulness of these many tears of joy’ and the like are often used vivid testimonies, how can we doubt by the recipients even of calendars or that we should cultivate a relish for the other modest amounts of Scripture. Word of God? Alas, we are usually all guilty of treating it much as our daily It is incumbent upon us to take a step bodily food: basic, necessary, even nour- back and appreciate just how blessed we ishing, but hardly delightful and are to have God’s Word in our own supremely sweet. Indeed, it has to be tongue, preserved through centuries and acknowledged that several of the Biblical translated faithfully and accurately in epithets applied to God’s Word and the the finest English words and phrases yet speech of His people would fall foul of used by man to convey the truths of the the dieticians and food police these days, Lord. As the Bible is more and more dis- as salt, honey and fat are all outlawed. paraged in our day and age, whether it is Yet these are all good, according to the ignored or blasphemed by those trapped Word of God! in the darkness of false religion, or by those chained up by atheism and the lies Much of our lack of delight stems from of evolutionary theory, or, worst of all, familiarity, with the Holy Scriptures as by men and women (!) in pulpits of much as with our earthly diet. Perhaps once sound churches, let us seek to we read the Bible or hear God’s Word redress the balance. Men and women of preached rather superficially, not digest- great faith and courage gave their lives ing it, certainly not meditating upon it so that we could have the Word of God 4 TBS QR576 layout.qxd 17/06/2006 13:47 Page 5 The Magazine of the Trinitarian Bible Society in our hands today. The least we can do 11.20, ‘they that deal truly’ Proverbs is to delight in it, to preach and teach it, 12.22, ‘the prayer of the upright’ Proverbs and to live by it, cherishing it as a great 15.8, ‘lovingkindness, judgment, and treasure bestowed upon us, we know not righteousness, in the earth’ Jeremiah for how long. 9.24, the believer—‘me’—2 Samuel 22.20, and ‘mercy’ Micah 7.18. I am reminded of a little blind girl of nine years of age called Jessica, well Best of all, the Father is said to delight in known to our Deputation Speakers the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘my servant, David Allen and Michael Harley, who whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my has been waiting for a kidney transplant soul delighteth’ Isaiah 42.1, and the Son for at least six years, and has been receiv- returns the compliment, ‘I delight to do ing dialysis each day.