"Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood." -Acts 20:28, NASB
To the Witness who would reasonably ask himself, "Why did I never notice this before?" Here is how the Watchtower translates the passage:
"Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed YOU overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own [Son]." -Acts 20:28, NWT
This translation is incorrect. Here is the original Greek of the relavant phrase:
Translated word-by-word, this reads: "...[article] church of [article] God, purchased by [article] blood [article] own.
Why does it not logically follow that we insert "[Son]" after "own"?
Because "own" (tou idiou) is an adjective that modifies "blood." It is in the second attributive position, for Greek afficionados--the most common form in which we see "article-noun-article-adjective." The only way this adjective could function substantivally (i.e., an adjective functioning as a noun), is if there were no noun for it to modify. The fact that "own" is directly preceded by "blood" requires that "own" modifies "blood," and that it does not stand alone. (In addition, there is no place in the New Testament where the adjective "own", idios, ever functions as a noun in the way the NWT tries to make it do.)
Therefore, there is no textual evidence to insert the word "Son" in brackets. "Own blood" refers back to "God" - literally but awkwardly, "the-blood-the own".
God purchased the church with His own blood!
What an amazing thought that is! God doesn't just command, dictate, purchase, or acquire. He calls us to Himself, but not that we obey out of duty or burden. He is not a God who takes. He gives. He gives Himself.
God Himself would weep for us, bleed for us, even die for us.
How much more can we serve Him with love and joy!
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