Then Paul described the church they were to shepherd as that which He “purchased with His own blood.” The phrase has prompted a large amount of discussion,[33] and, of course, controversy. Here are the two major issues in looking at this passage: (1) The passage contains an important “textual variation” in the Greek manuscripts.[34] Many manuscripts read “the church of the Lord” rather than “the church of God.”[35] (2) There is great debate over whether the last phrase should be translated “His own blood” or, as it is rendered in other translations, “blood of His own Son” (so NRSV, NJB).
