July 7, 2026
— Wikipedia · Source: Chinese Wikipedia, "白汉理"; Wikipedia, "Bible translations into Chinese" (citing Irene Eber, The Jewish Bishop and the Chinese Bible, 1999)
Acts 17:2 Paul, as was his custom, went in and, on three Sabbaths, debated with them in accordance with the Scriptures.
"Iron polishes iron, until a blade is forged." The years that Henry Blodget and his fellow translators spent weighing the words of the Mandarin New Testament echo the Apostle Paul's unwavering commitment to reason and debate, grounded in Scripture, to clarify Christ. Truth is never afraid of scrutiny and testing. Only a sacred sense of responsibility towards God's word can lead to such deep contemplation and spiritual exchange late into the night. This reminds us that on the path of faith, we should not succumb to blind obedience or superficiality, but rather be willing to contemplate and debate in search of the purest truth. Only through such a baptism of life and reason can the well of life we dig flow with the truly eternal waters, nourishing our thirsty souls.
Loving Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us the highest truth. The missionaries of yesteryear painstakingly weighed every word in translating the Bible for us; today, the footsteps of the apostles inspire us to continually thirst for and examine your word. Lord, whenever my faith encounters confusion or I face challenges in life, grant me the courage to confront the truth, so that in every encounter and exchange with the truth, I may shed ignorance and blind obedience, and be tempered into a deeper understanding of you. Guide my steps throughout life, disregarding the storms of my circumstances, and fixing my eyes solely on you. May my life also become a conduit for the flow of your living water. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.