Why I Use the King James Bible

Part 2 

In my previous post, I shared some background as to how I became interested in the "which Bible?" debate, and the conclusion I ultimately reached. Namely, that the King James Bible is the pure, perfect, and preserved Word of God. In this post, I will examine one of the biggest questions I had when studying the issue, and the reasoning which led to my conclusion.

Does there really need to be only one true Bible? 

To answer this question, it is necessary to first consider the purpose of the Bible. As our Creator, God needed a way to communicate with man, and throughout the ages He has mainly done so through the written Word. In the Bible, God reveals to us who He is, what He loves and hates, what He is like. It reveals the history of mankind, what God has already done, and what He will do in the future. Furthermore, as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 shows, the Bible is essential for salvation, sound doctrine, and instruction on how we are to live and believe as Christians.

The problem with having multiple Bible versions is that they can’t all say the same thing. They will inevitably contradict each other, as shown in my previous post. What do you do when this happens? If one version says God was the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and another implies that Joseph was his father, how can you know for sure? What do you do if one version teaches the Trinity of the Godhead, and another one doesn’t? Or if one version teaches that salvation is a process, and another says it is complete with belief in the Lord Jesus?

Why I Use the King James Bible

Part 1

As a child, I always preferred the King James Version, but was ignorant of the significance of it compared with other versions. My family mostly used the KJV, but we also had some NKJV’s, and Dad would occasionally pull out a different one such as the Amplified Version to use when preaching. Like many pastors, he also really liked his “Greek”, and would sometimes use it to correct the Bible.

During one period, I read through the entire New King James Version (NKJV). I learned some things from it, but it felt different- like something was missing. I wasn’t sure what it was, and attributed it more to the language difference. Because, for me, contrary to contemporary complaints of the KJV, it was actually the so-called “archaic language” that I loved about it. In my eyes, it gave the KJV an old-fashioned beauty, majesty, and superior feel to other versions.

A bit later on, shortly after leaving home, some friends introduced me to the idea that the KJV was God’s true Word, and that all other “new” versions were flawed. I was a little skeptical, but it sparked my curiosity on the matter, and I began to dig in to learn more. The first two books I read on the issue were “The Language of the King James Bible”, and “In Awe of Thy Word”, by Gail Riplinger.

The Friendship of Christ

The other day I was listening to a sermon on some of the attributes of God, specifically along the lines of the Lord being "A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). It got me to
thinking again on just how real the friendship of Christ is, or can be. How intimately He understands us. It's hard for me to remember sometimes, because when you're lonely, one of the things you crave most is the physical affection, and physical closeness, and sometimes that can cause discouragement at the "lack" of such in the spiritual walk. However, if you consider all of the other elements of a genuine friendship, the qualities that make for a strong and enduring friendship, the verse "There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother" becomes quite real.

Faithfulness and loyalty…so long as we are born again, no matter what we do, He abides by His promises to us.

Strength and confidence…in the Word, like a friend reminding us of the truth, strengthening and encouraging us when we're weak, afraid, or uncertain.

Advice in the Word…like when we seek answers from a friend for understanding or guidance.

Comfort and gentleness…all in the Word, the solid foundation which the Scriptures offer, the peace and assurance it gives, the reason to look for the future, that "the hope which is laid up for you in heaven." Friends might not be able to prevent sorrow or calamity, but they can offer that comfort.

Nothing But the Blood

A Testimony

Growing up, I was the oldest child in a large family. We were raised in a conservative, but isolated Christian home. My father was a retired Southern Baptist pastor, with a strong tendency towards Calvinism and a works-based faith. As a young child, I was aware of the fact that I was not good enough to make it to Heaven on my own, but did not know how to be saved. At times I would be really worried what might happen to me if I died without being saved.

During one of these periods, when I was 7 or 8 years old, I was especially worried, and determined in my heart to be saved. I can't remember exactly what I said, or even if I got on my knees. My prayer was child-like, but sincere. Something to the effect of "God, please save me, I know I'm not good enough, but I want to go to Heaven when I die."

But...nothing happened. Or so it seemed. In my mind, the way I pictured salvation was some ethereal, life-changing, and joyous experience. Accompanied with this overwhelming conviction of sin, resulting faith in God, and a dramatic, obvious change in the new Christian's life. But none of this happened to me. I felt gutted. Disappointed. And with no more assurance that I was saved than before my prayer.