The Problem with Jesus’ Words in Red
Have you ever noticed that in most Bibles, Jesus’ words are in red? They are called red letter Bibles, and the words attributed to Jesus are written in red, while everything else is written in black.
It wasn’t always that way. The first red letter New Testament was published in 1899, and the first red letter Bible followed two years later.
The idea of, course, is to help make Jesus’ words stand out. It certainly does do that, but is that a good thing?
Should we be placing more emphasis on Jesus’ words over all of the other words in our Bibles?
Are Jesus’ Words More Important?
There is no doubt that Jesus’ words are of utmost importance. He is the Word who became flesh and made His dwelling among us as John said in John 1:14.
John would also go on to say that Jesus makes God known to us. When Jesus spoke, these were the very words of God.
But are Jesus’ words more important than the words of the apostle Paul in the New Testament?
No! As a matter of fact, the words that Paul wrote were under the inspiration of the God, the Holy Spirit. So were all of the words found in Scripture.
We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all Scripture is “God-breathed.” The Bible’s words are God’s words.
Therefore, all words found in our Bibles are equal in authority. The words found in red are not elevated to a status of more importance than those written in black.
Red Letter Christians
Some people have even begun to refer to themselves as “Red Letter Christians.” Formally, it’s a group of liberal Christians whose desire is to counter the political influence of conservative Christians, but many just use the title to say that they live their lives by Jesus’ words.
That’s not a bad thing, except for the fact that the apostle Paul’s words in the New Testament also share equally important words for how to live the Christian life. Also, not everything Jesus said was designed for us to live our lives by today.
Part of Jesus’ earthly ministry was to condemn those living under the law. To do that, He had to show them how they could never measure up to God’s standard. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that anyone who gets angry is in danger of hell. He says that if you lust, you have committed adultery. He tells people to cut off their right hand if it causes them to sin, and He even says to be perfect as His Heavenly Father is perfect.
Jesus wasn’t saying those things because that was how New Covenant Christians were supposed to live their lives. He was teaching a Jewish audience, living under the Old Covenant that they were in need of a Savior. He’s showing us our need for a Savior today as well.
Therefore, when we see words written in red and automatically assume they are meant for us to live our lives by, we are not doing the work of reading them in context to see how they apply to us today. We cannot elevate the words of Jesus to say that we live our lives by them when not all of them were meant to show us how to live today.
Conclusion
The words written in red and attributed to Jesus are important, but they do not add anything to the authority of God’s word. There isn’t a two-tiered inspiration of God’s word. All Scripture is God-breathed and equal in authority.
Not all Scripture applies to us today in the same way it did before the New Covenant was inaugurated through the finished work of Jeus on the cross and the sending of the Spirit, but it is all God’s inspired word.
Be careful when reading Scripture not to elevate Jesus’ words printed in red over others written in the New Testament. Read everything in context and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning and how it applies to you today as a New Covenant, Spirit-filled, new creation in Christ.
