The Margin Notes of a Faithful Translator

In 1526, William Tyndale published his English New Testament, knowing it could cost him his life. But what strikes the careful reader is not just Tyndale's courage — it is his margin notes. Again and again, where the Greek text presented genuine difficulty, Tyndale did not impose his own preference. He offered alternatives in the margins, essentially telling his readers, "Here is what I believe the text says, but consider this rendering also." The man who defied kings would not overrule a single syllable of Scripture with his own authority.

This is precisely the posture Paul commands in Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." The Greek word tapeinophrosyne — humility of mind — describes a deliberate lowering of oneself, not from weakness but from conviction.

Those who hold highest the doctrine of biblical inerrancy must hold lowest their own opinions. If we truly believe every word of Scripture is God-breathed and without error, then we of all people have no grounds for intellectual arrogance. The inerrant Word did not elevate us — it leveled us. As Wayne Grudem has observed, right doctrine should always produce right living.

The next time you open your Bible, ask yourself: Am I submitting to this text, or am I expecting it to submit to me?