All-Nations Translation Philosophy, Part 4 of 5
TRANSLATABILITY OF THE SCRIPTURES
The idea of Scripture translation flows from the concept of the Incarnation. God sent His Word in human form. By identifying with us as a man, Jesus revealed God and His will in a way uniquely comprehensible to us as humans. Bible translation applies this principle to the written Word.
From the beginning, the Church has understood that Bible translation originates in the mind and heart of God. The Gospel itself was originally manifested in the context of one culture, Jewish monotheism. But God made it plain that the Gospel was to transcend, infiltrate, conform to—and at the same time transform—all cultures including its original host culture. Since the Scriptures contain the message of this Gospel, they must not remain locked within a foreign script.
We can only conclude that God intends that the Scriptures be translated, and that the faithfully translated product be received as His Word.
Read Part 1, Worth of the Vernacular
Read Part 2, Origin of the Text
Read Part 3, Preservation of the Message
Read Part 5, Priority of Discipleship
(The Translation Philosophy is part of our larger Translation Policy, still in development.)