Does the Word of God change my life and my outlook on life? The account of how the freshly translated Word of God began to change lives in a Mexican Indian village has challenged my view of what the Bible can do for me and for the world.
Some years ago, people were translating the Bible into the language of the Tzeltal people in Mexico. The Bible had been available to these people for years in Spanish, but many of them did not understand Spanish. Those who did understand Spanish were not always able to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures. Bible translators saw the need to translate the Bible into Tzeltal.
As soon as a new passage was available in Tzeltal, the pastor of the church in one village used it to teach the people. Little did the translators realize the effect that hearing the Bible in their mother language would have.
In that village, the leaders required the heads of households to help on village projects. This requirement was unpopular, and many men tried to evade the responsibility. To enforce the work requirement, local police would take some valuable objects from the homes of the men. They would return the objects only when the men showed up for work.
After Romans 13:1-8 was translated into Tzeltal, the Christian men in the village turned out en masse for the work projects. The authorities, who opposed the Gospel, no longer needed to confiscate valuables from Christian homes. They were dumbfounded. The Christians took seriously what the Bible taught about honoring and obeying the authorities. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).
The Bible continues to change men and women around the world. The Bible can change your life. What does a passage like Romans 13:1-8 do for you? Does it inspire you to apply its truths to our relationship with authorities? Do passages on moral purity challenge you to take God’s way of avoiding immorality and behavior that leads to immorality? Do passages on sacrificial living and giving inspire you to share willingly with those in need, especially the spiritually needy? When the Bible calls you to separation from sin and corruption, does it affect your relationship to Western culture and affluence? When God’s Word calls for love and obedience, do your neighbors see the change as the Mexican village officials did?
Some three thousand years ago a godly man wrote, “Thy word [the Bible] have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee [God]” (Psalm 119:11). Throughout history people have tried to change the world through wars, political maneuverings, and a host of philosophies of social betterment. But only exposure to the Bible and its teaching has brought change that truly builds society and the character of men and women.
“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O lord” (Jeremiah 15:16).
-by Roger L. Berry