There are many good works that one can read on the authority of the King James Bible. I am sure that this discussion adds nothing really new. However, it is my desire to explain the issue in a simple and brief manner for all to understand. Over the last 35 years I have learned a great deal about this issue, and I believe that a truth worth learning is a truth worth telling.
Here are nine reasons why I have
confidence that the KJV is the word of God:
1. God Promised to Preserve His
Words
Psalm 12:6-7 says, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Then we read in Psalm 100:5 that ". . . . his truth endureth to all generations," and Jesus said in John 17:17 that God's WORD is truth. Jesus also said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). If His words didn't pass away, then where are they? I want to read them. These words state very clearly that God's preserved word MUST be available to us today, because God PROMISED to preserve it for us. There MUST be an infallible Book somewhere.
Psalm 12:6-7 says, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Then we read in Psalm 100:5 that ". . . . his truth endureth to all generations," and Jesus said in John 17:17 that God's WORD is truth. Jesus also said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). If His words didn't pass away, then where are they? I want to read them. These words state very clearly that God's preserved word MUST be available to us today, because God PROMISED to preserve it for us. There MUST be an infallible Book somewhere.
If all of
the modern versions are the word of God, then where are the "corrupt"
and "perverted" versions that we are warned about in II Corinthians
2:17 and Jeremiah 23:36? If everyone is innocent, then where are those who are
said to be GUILTY of subtracting from and adding to the word of God (Rev.
22:18-19)? God wouldn't have warned us about Bible perversion if it wasn't
going to be a reality. According to the scriptures, there must be a single Book
that is the word of God, and there must be MANY which are involved in CORRUPTING
the word of God.
2. The Authorized Version Was
Translated Under The Authority of A God-Ordained English King
The major theme of the Bible is the kingdom which God intends to give to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will be crowned "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS," according to Revelation 19:16. Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, "Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" Unlike the modern versions, the KJV was translated under the direction of a king. In fact, the king's name was "James," which is the English word for "Jacob," whom God renamed "Israel," because he had power with God and with men (Gen. 32:28). The Bible also tells us that “The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as rivers of water he turneth it whithersoever he will.” (Prov. 21:1) The authorized 1611 Bible is the only Bible that has a king's name on it.
3. Because It Has No Copyright
The original crown copyright of 1611 does not forbid anyone from reprinting the Authorized Version. It was only copyrighted then for the purpose of allowing the printer to finance the publication. For nearly four hundred years now we have been printing millions of copies of KJV's without requesting permission from anyone. Over eight-hundred million copies of the Authorized Version have been printed without anyone paying royalties. This cannot be said of any of the new translations. Look in the inside cover of any modern translation and you will find how many verses they will let you use without their permission. If the Bible is the Word of God, why should I have to ask the translator’s permission to use God’s Word? Give me a break!
The new "bibles" are the work of MEN, but the KJV is a divine work of the Holy Spirit. The term "Authorized" has traditionally been applied to the King James Version alone, for this is the one Book which the Holy Spirit has blessed and used for so long. The fact that it bears no copyright allows printing ministries throughout the world to print millions of copies each year for the mission field.
4. Because God Always Translates Perfectly
The words "translate" and "translated" occur three times in the Bible and GOD is the Translator each time. The scholars insist that the KJV cannot be infallible, because it is "only a translation." Do you suppose that such scholars have checked II Samuel 3:10, Colossians 1:13, and Hebrews 11:5 to see what GOD has to say about translating?
In II Samuel 3:10 we are told that it was God Who translated Saul's kingdom to David. We are told in Colossians 1:13 that believers have been translated into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and Hebrews 11:5 tells us that God translated Enoch that he should not see death. God was the One doing the translating each time. What's the point? The point is that a translation CAN be perfect, if God is involved in the translating.
When the New Testament writers would quote the Old Testament (Mt. 1:23; Mk. 1:2; Lk. 4:4; Jn. 15:25; Acts 1:20; 7:42; I Cor. 2:9; Gal. 3:13, etc.), they had to TRANSLATE from Hebrew to Greek, because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, but THEY wrote in Greek. So, if a translation cannot be infallible, then EVEN THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE "ORIGINAL GREEK" ISN'T INFALLIBLE, because it contains translations from the Hebrew text!
Obviously God assisted them in their translating by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and He assisted the King James translators as well. Today’s arrogant scholars will never understand this, for most of them have QUENCHED the Holy Spirit in their own lives by looking to higher education for truth, rather than seeking the Lord's leadership (John. 16:13).
The Holy Spirit Who inspired the word of God through "holy men of God" (II Pet. 1:21) is quite capable of guiding His servants to KEEP the words which Jesus told us to keep (John. 14:23). In essence, the KJV translators were merely INSTRUMENTS which God used in translating and preserving His word. In fact, they said this themselves in the Dedicatory to the Authorized Version: ". . . . because we are poor instruments to make God's holy truth to be yet more and more known to the people. . . "
5. Because It Produces Good Fruit
The Lord Jesus said that every good tree will bring forth good fruit, and we can know them by their fruits (Mt. 7:17-20). God had the KJV translated for the purpose of bringing forth fruit, and it has been very obedient to the call. The greatest preachers of the past four centuries have been King James Bible believers. Billy Sunday is said to have led over one million people to Christ, and he was a KJV believer. Spurgeon, Moody, Whitfield, and Wesley were all KJV men, and the list goes on. God has richly blessed the ministries of such men as these because they stayed busy obeying His word rather than questioning its authority.
The KJV produces good fruit, because the Holy Spirit bears witness to it like no other book in the world. It's easier to memorize than any new version, and the beautiful old English language gives the reader the impression that he is reading a Book very different and far superior to the rest. It reads different because it IS different, and it IS different because it has a different Author. We shall know them "by their fruit", and I know the King James Bible is the word of God, because it produces good fruit.
6. Because the King James Translators Believed They Were Handling the Very Words of God
One can see this truth by reading the Dedicatory remarks in the Authorized Version. These men didn't believe they were handling "God's message" or "reliable manuscripts." They believed they were handling the very words of God Himself. As I Thessalonians 2:13 says, they ". . . . received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
A man who lacks faith in God's word is in no condition to translate it. This eliminates every revision committee in the past one hundred years, because these committees have consisted mostly of highly educated men who were heady, high-minded, and proud, thinking that their intelligence qualified them to tamper with the pure words of God.
The KJV translators were not like this. Their scholarship far exceeded that of modern translators, yet they remained humble and allowed God to use them in order to produce an infallible masterpiece. They didn't set out to "judge" and "correct" the word of God. Their purpose was to translate God's word for the English speaking people, as they were told to do by their appointed king.
7. Because the King James Translators Were Honest In Their Work
The critics of the KJV enjoy making a fuss about the words in italics, which were added by the translators; but the argument is entirely unnecessary and unfair. The italic words in the KJV actually prove that the translators were honest in their work. When translating from one language to another, the idioms change, thus making it necessary to add certain words to help the reader grasp the full meaning of the text. When the KJV translators added such words they set them in italics so that we'd know these words were added, unlike we find it in so many new versions today, which do NOT use the italics.
One good example of this is found in the book of Jeremiah chapter 36. God instructed Jeremiah to write a message to Jehoiakim, King of Judah. King Jehoiakim did not like the message and he responded by cutting up the scroll and throwing it into a fire. Little did the King know that burning the scroll did not destroy God’s original manuscript. Many "Christians" today claim that they believe the Bible was divinely inspired "in the original manuscripts". That is a clever and quite frankly deceitful way of saying I believe in divine inspiration of the Bible centuries ago but I do not believe God has the power to divinely preserve His Word to "all generations" as He promised He would... The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.[7] Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. (Psa. 12:6-7) As far as I am concerned, divine inspiration requires divine preservation in order to be a correct interpretation and thereby avoid God's divine condemnation...Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. [6] Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (Prov. 30:5-6) King Jehoiakim learned this lesson many years ago; he destroyed himself and his nation (36:27-32); however, he did not destroy the servants of God (36:26). Nor could he destroy the Spirit of God who guided Jeremiah to write the message (2 Peter 1:21). By God’s direction, the message was rewritten. Notice these enlightening words… “And there were added besides unto them many like words” (36:32). The message ended up stronger than before! Both messages were inspired of God. This is why I am not troubled with the “added words” in the Authorized 1611 King James Bible. God is at liberty to add words to His inspired message if He so desires without jeopardizing inspiration. The italics in the King James Bible are the marks of an honest translation, for no one added these words to mislead us, or to change the word of God. They added the words to help us, and they set the words in italics so we'd know they were added. That's honesty.
8. Because All New Translations Compare Themselves to the KJV
The new versions do not compare themselves with each other, because they're too busy comparing themselves with one Book--the King James Bible. This fact alone proves that there is something very special and unique about the KJV. Why does everyone line up in opposition against the King James Bible? Why not attack one another? That's easy: Satan has no desire to divide his own kingdom (Mt. 12:26). His desire is to discredit the word of GOD, not himself; so he attacks only one Book, God's Book, the KJV.
9. Because It Exalts the Lord Jesus ChristThe major theme of the Bible is the kingdom which God intends to give to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will be crowned "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS," according to Revelation 19:16. Ecclesiastes 8:4 says, "Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?" Unlike the modern versions, the KJV was translated under the direction of a king. In fact, the king's name was "James," which is the English word for "Jacob," whom God renamed "Israel," because he had power with God and with men (Gen. 32:28). The Bible also tells us that “The King’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as rivers of water he turneth it whithersoever he will.” (Prov. 21:1) The authorized 1611 Bible is the only Bible that has a king's name on it.
3. Because It Has No Copyright
The original crown copyright of 1611 does not forbid anyone from reprinting the Authorized Version. It was only copyrighted then for the purpose of allowing the printer to finance the publication. For nearly four hundred years now we have been printing millions of copies of KJV's without requesting permission from anyone. Over eight-hundred million copies of the Authorized Version have been printed without anyone paying royalties. This cannot be said of any of the new translations. Look in the inside cover of any modern translation and you will find how many verses they will let you use without their permission. If the Bible is the Word of God, why should I have to ask the translator’s permission to use God’s Word? Give me a break!
The new "bibles" are the work of MEN, but the KJV is a divine work of the Holy Spirit. The term "Authorized" has traditionally been applied to the King James Version alone, for this is the one Book which the Holy Spirit has blessed and used for so long. The fact that it bears no copyright allows printing ministries throughout the world to print millions of copies each year for the mission field.
4. Because God Always Translates Perfectly
The words "translate" and "translated" occur three times in the Bible and GOD is the Translator each time. The scholars insist that the KJV cannot be infallible, because it is "only a translation." Do you suppose that such scholars have checked II Samuel 3:10, Colossians 1:13, and Hebrews 11:5 to see what GOD has to say about translating?
In II Samuel 3:10 we are told that it was God Who translated Saul's kingdom to David. We are told in Colossians 1:13 that believers have been translated into the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and Hebrews 11:5 tells us that God translated Enoch that he should not see death. God was the One doing the translating each time. What's the point? The point is that a translation CAN be perfect, if God is involved in the translating.
When the New Testament writers would quote the Old Testament (Mt. 1:23; Mk. 1:2; Lk. 4:4; Jn. 15:25; Acts 1:20; 7:42; I Cor. 2:9; Gal. 3:13, etc.), they had to TRANSLATE from Hebrew to Greek, because the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, but THEY wrote in Greek. So, if a translation cannot be infallible, then EVEN THE NEW TESTAMENT IN THE "ORIGINAL GREEK" ISN'T INFALLIBLE, because it contains translations from the Hebrew text!
Obviously God assisted them in their translating by the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and He assisted the King James translators as well. Today’s arrogant scholars will never understand this, for most of them have QUENCHED the Holy Spirit in their own lives by looking to higher education for truth, rather than seeking the Lord's leadership (John. 16:13).
The Holy Spirit Who inspired the word of God through "holy men of God" (II Pet. 1:21) is quite capable of guiding His servants to KEEP the words which Jesus told us to keep (John. 14:23). In essence, the KJV translators were merely INSTRUMENTS which God used in translating and preserving His word. In fact, they said this themselves in the Dedicatory to the Authorized Version: ". . . . because we are poor instruments to make God's holy truth to be yet more and more known to the people. . . "
5. Because It Produces Good Fruit
The Lord Jesus said that every good tree will bring forth good fruit, and we can know them by their fruits (Mt. 7:17-20). God had the KJV translated for the purpose of bringing forth fruit, and it has been very obedient to the call. The greatest preachers of the past four centuries have been King James Bible believers. Billy Sunday is said to have led over one million people to Christ, and he was a KJV believer. Spurgeon, Moody, Whitfield, and Wesley were all KJV men, and the list goes on. God has richly blessed the ministries of such men as these because they stayed busy obeying His word rather than questioning its authority.
The KJV produces good fruit, because the Holy Spirit bears witness to it like no other book in the world. It's easier to memorize than any new version, and the beautiful old English language gives the reader the impression that he is reading a Book very different and far superior to the rest. It reads different because it IS different, and it IS different because it has a different Author. We shall know them "by their fruit", and I know the King James Bible is the word of God, because it produces good fruit.
6. Because the King James Translators Believed They Were Handling the Very Words of God
One can see this truth by reading the Dedicatory remarks in the Authorized Version. These men didn't believe they were handling "God's message" or "reliable manuscripts." They believed they were handling the very words of God Himself. As I Thessalonians 2:13 says, they ". . . . received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
A man who lacks faith in God's word is in no condition to translate it. This eliminates every revision committee in the past one hundred years, because these committees have consisted mostly of highly educated men who were heady, high-minded, and proud, thinking that their intelligence qualified them to tamper with the pure words of God.
The KJV translators were not like this. Their scholarship far exceeded that of modern translators, yet they remained humble and allowed God to use them in order to produce an infallible masterpiece. They didn't set out to "judge" and "correct" the word of God. Their purpose was to translate God's word for the English speaking people, as they were told to do by their appointed king.
7. Because the King James Translators Were Honest In Their Work
The critics of the KJV enjoy making a fuss about the words in italics, which were added by the translators; but the argument is entirely unnecessary and unfair. The italic words in the KJV actually prove that the translators were honest in their work. When translating from one language to another, the idioms change, thus making it necessary to add certain words to help the reader grasp the full meaning of the text. When the KJV translators added such words they set them in italics so that we'd know these words were added, unlike we find it in so many new versions today, which do NOT use the italics.
One good example of this is found in the book of Jeremiah chapter 36. God instructed Jeremiah to write a message to Jehoiakim, King of Judah. King Jehoiakim did not like the message and he responded by cutting up the scroll and throwing it into a fire. Little did the King know that burning the scroll did not destroy God’s original manuscript. Many "Christians" today claim that they believe the Bible was divinely inspired "in the original manuscripts". That is a clever and quite frankly deceitful way of saying I believe in divine inspiration of the Bible centuries ago but I do not believe God has the power to divinely preserve His Word to "all generations" as He promised He would... The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.[7] Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. (Psa. 12:6-7) As far as I am concerned, divine inspiration requires divine preservation in order to be a correct interpretation and thereby avoid God's divine condemnation...Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. [6] Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. (Prov. 30:5-6) King Jehoiakim learned this lesson many years ago; he destroyed himself and his nation (36:27-32); however, he did not destroy the servants of God (36:26). Nor could he destroy the Spirit of God who guided Jeremiah to write the message (2 Peter 1:21). By God’s direction, the message was rewritten. Notice these enlightening words… “And there were added besides unto them many like words” (36:32). The message ended up stronger than before! Both messages were inspired of God. This is why I am not troubled with the “added words” in the Authorized 1611 King James Bible. God is at liberty to add words to His inspired message if He so desires without jeopardizing inspiration. The italics in the King James Bible are the marks of an honest translation, for no one added these words to mislead us, or to change the word of God. They added the words to help us, and they set the words in italics so we'd know they were added. That's honesty.
8. Because All New Translations Compare Themselves to the KJV
The new versions do not compare themselves with each other, because they're too busy comparing themselves with one Book--the King James Bible. This fact alone proves that there is something very special and unique about the KJV. Why does everyone line up in opposition against the King James Bible? Why not attack one another? That's easy: Satan has no desire to divide his own kingdom (Mt. 12:26). His desire is to discredit the word of GOD, not himself; so he attacks only one Book, God's Book, the KJV.
Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: And they are they which testify of me." John 5:39. A real Bible will testify of the Lord Jesus Christ. The true word of God will always exalt Jesus Christ, and it will never attack His Deity, His Virgin Birth, His Blood Atonement, His Bodily Resurrection, His Glorious Second Coming, or any other doctrines concerning His Person. However, the new versions attack all of the fundamental doctrines concerning the Lord Jesus Christ at one time or another.
By perverting the many important verses of scripture which deal with the fundamental doctrines of Christ, the new "bibles" have a continuous attack launched against our beloved Savior. His Virgin Birth is under attack in Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:34, and Luke 2:33. His Blood Atonement is under attack in Colossians 1:14, Acts 20:28, Ephesians 1:7, and Revelation 1:5. The Bodily Resurrection is under attack in Acts 1:3, Luke chapter 24, and the last twelve verses of Mark. His Deity is under attack in Acts 10:28, John 9:35, and I Timothy 3:16. The new versions attack the Second Coming in Revelation 11:15, and Titus 2:13, and the list goes on, because the new versions have an attitude of superiority over the Authorized Version and the way it gives the Lord Jesus Christ His preeminent place. The King James Bible never attacks our Lord. More than any book in the world, the Authorized Version of the Protestant Reformation exalts the Lord Jesus Christ
No comments:
Post a Comment