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Edition 21 |
No Rocks on the Romans Road |
6/25/20 |
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The general purpose of these articles is to draw attention to variations in the text of extant manuscripts and other ancient sources of the New Testament. This edition deviates by highlighting passages with NO textual variants. The vast majority of text falls into this category, but these verses demand special attention. They represent what could be considered the central theme of scripture, the way of salvation. Many additional passages emphasize the subject, but these, collectively called the Romans Road, are often used to clearly teach the following important aspects. 1. sin, the violation of God's law. It is characteristic of mankind's natural state from birth. 2. death, eternal condemnation and the penalty for sin. 3. redemption, the purchase out of sin by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross (motivated by God's love). 4. salvation, the rescue from the entrapment of sin by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. 5. acceptance, personal acknowledgement of Christ as savior through faith & confession. 6. the gift of God, righteousness in place of sin, eternal life in place of eternal death, and eternity with God in place of eternity apart from God. The following quotations are from the Authorized (King James) version. Click on the references to see a comparison between the Byzantine text and that of the Greek New Testament (from Alexandrian sources). For all these passages, the TR (or, Textus Receptus) is identical to the Byzantine. It is remarkable that the texts match so perfectly considering the wide divergence in transmission leading to these readings. Note the one minor exception in the famous John 3:16. The Byzantine text explicitly declares that Christ, who is being quoted in the verse, is God's son. That truth is clearly implicit in the other text. Romans 3:10 speaks of sin. "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:" Romans 3:23 speaks of sin. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 5: 8,10 speak of sin, redemption, and salvation. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. . . . 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Romans 6:23 speaks of sin, death, and the gift of God. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 10: 9, 10, and 13 speak of salvation and acceptance. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. . . . 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 5:12 speaks of sin and death. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" Romans 5:19 speaks of sin and redemption. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 7:11 speaks of sin and death. "For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me." John 3:16 speaks of redemption, acceptance, death, and the gift of God. (Sin is the subject, in part, of subsequent verses.) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." |
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Greek Text sources cited above include: |