Bob Tamasy
Over the years, a number of popular tunes have been written and sung about the letters and words “written in red” in the Bible – direct quotations of Jesus highlighted in red. We can find them in the gospels of Matthew, Mark Luke and John, the book of Acts, and Revelation. The songs, in Southern gospel, contemporary Christian and country music genres, tell how reading the words or letters appearing in red has made a life-changing impact in many people’s lives.
Among them is a song called “Believe,” a rendition first performed by the country duo of Brooks & Dunn in 2005. Reflecting on growing up in a small town and later having an encounter with an old man nearing the end of his earthly life, they include this recurring refrain:
“I raise my hands, bow my head
I’m findin’ more and more truth in the words written in red.
They tell me that there’s more to life, than just what I can see
I believe, oh I believe.”
That song and its ‘moral’ are stirring for followers of Christ. As those lyrics express, I’m increasingly finding more truth in the words that some Bibles present in red. They truly do offer the assurance that there’s more to life than what we can see.
The first Bible I ever had, received in church at the age of 12 on the occasion of my confirmation, is a King James Version edition of the Scriptures with the words of Jesus in red. (I say ‘is’ because it’s still part of my library.) That also was the first Bible I read cover to cover, during my senior of high school. At that time, however, it was just a personal goal – to be able to say I had read the entire Bible.
Frankly, I understood very little of what I had read, partly because I found the King James English at times difficult to absorb and partly because I hadn’t yet committed my life to Christ and didn’t have the benefit of having the Holy Spirit as my instructor. As Jesus promised His followers, “the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…” (John 14:26).
The reason I’m thinking about the “words written in red” is that although it can be helpful to have specific words Jesus spoke highlighted, I believe every other word we read in the Scriptures is just as meaningful and significant. If someone were to decide to read just the red words in the Bible, they’d be missing a great deal of what theologians refer to as ‘the whole counsel of God.’
For instance, Jesus’ assurance, “and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) echoes the Lord’s words in the Old Testament, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God…” (Isaiah 41:10).
Speaking to His disciples, Jesus declared, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you…. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). We find the same promise in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal” (Isaiah 26:3-4).
In the Bible’s final book, Jesus announces, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). A similar promise is made in Leviticus 26:12, “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people.”
In reality, the entire Bible – the Old Testament’s 39 books and the 27 of the New Testament – points to Jesus Christ. This is why Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Early in my journey of faith, pastor-teacher Johnny Miller, who is now with the Lord, helped me to recognize the unity and harmony of the Scriptures. Although he was in the midst of a lengthy expository study of the gospel of Matthew, Johnny always would point us to related books and verses elsewhere in the Bible so we could gain a fuller understanding of the particular passage he was covering.
For the first time I realized that what God had revealed in Genesis and other Old Testament books was just as important as what He inspired to be written in the New Testament. When we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), we find elaboration in John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”
So, we can rejoice and be blessed when we read the Bible’s words written in red. But we can also find joy and blessings in reading all the words written in black because ultimately, they’re all about Christ, inspired by the Spirit of God. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
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Robert J. Tamasy is a veteran journalist, former newspaper editor, and magazine editor. Bob has written, co-authored and edited more than 20 books. These include ”Marketplace Ambassadors”; “Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace”; “Tufting Legacies,” “The Heart of Mentoring,” and “Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart.” He writes and edits a weekly business meditation, “Monday Manna,” which is translated into nearly 20 languages and distributed via email around the world by CBMC International. The address for Bob's blog is www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. His email address is btamasy@comcast.net.