The red letters

  I used to think red-letter editions of the Bible were awesome and the kind every Christian should have and read. Bibles without the red letters indicating where Jesus is talking, were inferior.

 Things change. At this point in my life, I am starting to favor Bibles that do not have the words of Jesus in red letters. I just got a new Bible this week in my new favorite translation that is unique in two ways: It is a single column Bible, which makes reading it different. The other way it is unique is that it is not a red letter edition.

  I probably shouldn't admit this on such a public place as my blog, but one reason I favor Bibles without red letters is because I find them more difficult to read. Whether I have my glasses on or not, the red words are more difficult to read. I am finding it much easier to read the Bibles that have all black lettering. I guess this is what it feels like to get old.

 That aside, I have been wondering for a while if red letter edition Bibles are even a good idea. I know, to some people I am now guilty of heresy. Not only do I rarely use the KJV, but now I am saying maybe red letter Bibles aren't such a good idea.

   It is becoming very common with one sin in particular, but also with some others, to point out that since Jesus didn't mention it, that He is OK with it. This is wrong on so many levels, and makes the very erroneous assumption that what Jesus said in the Gospels is the only part of the Bible that matters. We don't have to observe or obey anything else in the Bible except for what Jesus said in the Gospels.

  Now anyone with common sense and who is not trying to excuse sin knows this: the whole Bible is the Word of God.... not just what is in red letters. Should what is in red letters be any more important than the rest of the Bible? If we truly believe the Bible was divinely inspired by God, then the red letters are not any more important or worthy of being singled out than the rest of the Bible.

 So could this idea of putting Jesus' spoken words in red be giving people the wrong idea? Could it be encouraging the ideas that they are more important, and that it is the only parts of the Bible that we need to observe and obey? Possibly. And if you disagree with that reasoning, wait til you pick up a red letter edition of the Bible some day and find it difficult to read the words in red.