Pastor Luther Walker continues his series on bibliology, focusing on the origin and development of the English Bible, translation philosophies, textual history, and the formation of the biblical canon.
He emphasizes preferring literal (formal equivalence) translations over dynamic equivalence ones, as literal versions better convey idioms and original meaning (e.g., NASB as a strong literal option, while NIV and CEV are dynamic). He notes the King James Version (KJV) originated from the Bishops’ Bible, incorporating the Masoretic Text (Hebrew Old Testament with vowel pointing, not inspired) and Erasmus’s Textus Receptus (New Testament, less accurate than modern texts due to Erasmus’s haste). The original 1611 KJV included Apocrypha books (later removed in Protestant editions), which Catholicism treats as secondary canon but Protestants reject as non-Scripture.
He discusses textual variants, such as the added clause in Romans 8:1 (”who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit”) in some manuscripts (including KJV), viewed as a later addition from the Vulgate for theological reasons, not original. Modern critical texts omit it based on earlier evidence.
The sermon traces canon formation through key councils: Nicaea (325 AD, addressing Arianism—denying Christ’s full deity—and affirming the Trinity via the Nicene Creed); Laodicea (c. 363 AD, listing books but excluding Revelation initially and outlawing Saturday Sabbath rest in favor of Sunday); Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD, affirming 27 New Testament books and including some Apocrypha, later rejected by Protestants); Trent (1545–1563, responding to Reformation by affirming Apocrypha and Vulgate, condemning justification by faith alone); and Westminster Confession (1646, solidifying the 66-book Protestant canon, excluding Apocrypha as non-inspired).
He stresses salvation by grace through faith alone (no works, remorse, or sinner’s prayer required), critiques additions like papal authority (rejecting Peter as foundational rock in Matthew 16:18), priestly confession (misusing James 5:16), and modern practices overriding Scripture (e.g., tongues, prophecy). Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16–17, “God-breathed” not merely “inspired”), sufficient for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Interpretation follows proper hermeneutics (context, grammar), with the universal church aiding understanding under the Holy Spirit.
