Part 3
Having established some background as to how I got into the Bible version issue, and the importance of having a "Final Authority", in this final post I will explain why I believe the King James Bible alone meets this requirement. (If you missed the first two posts, you can see them here - Part 1 and here - Part 2). As this post could quickly get very long, I will only give an overview of the main points, rather than attempting to go into details over each one. |
| "Bible Mountain" by Peter S. Ruckman |
This question can be answered by addressing another question - “Which Bible would/does the Lord God Himself endorse?” If God inspired the Book in the first place, and then preserved it throughout all history (HIS-story), then surely there must be some evidence of which version He has blessed. With this in mind, let us examine some of the clues given.
Authorization -
Ecclesiastes 8:4 states that “Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?” The King James Bible is the only Bible today that was authorized by a king. Hence, it is commonly referred to as the AV 1611 (Authorized Version 1611). Personally, I view this as God's official stamp of approval.
Authorship -
The KJV has never been copyrighted. All subsequent “Bible” versions have. Unlike the KJV, you have to pay or get permission to quote or copy more than a set amount from new versions. Much financial profit is being made of them because of this (1 Timothy 6:10). These copyrights also imply human, not Divine author/ownership. If God truly is the Author, is it not a slander and injustice against Him to claim authorship and then collect the profits?
Fruits -
God has used the KJV exponentially more than any other version in the spreading of the Gospel, and it has been translated into more languages than any other version. More copies have been distributed. More people have been saved through it than by any other version. It has stood the test of over 400 years. No new version can claim this.
God the Son –
Where the KJV consistently promotes the deity of Christ, all other versions continually obscure or deny it in some form or another. If the Lord Jesus Christ was not God come down in the flesh, his death on the cross could not save us. Acts 8:37, which declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is removed or footnoted in the majority of new versions. Another example is 1 Timothy 3:16 -
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) - "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."See the problem here?
NLT (et al.) - "Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ ["not God"] was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory."
Purity -
All new versions contain proveable mistakes and doctrinal errors (see Part 1 for examples). Hence the constant need for revisions (the NASB, for example, has at least 10 copyright dates). Contrarily, no one yet has been able to conclusively prove that there are ANY errors in the KJV – If it’s not broken, don’t fix it!
Additionally…
Psalm 12:6 states that “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” A very interesting fact which bears some explaining is that this verse is unique to the KJV. A little history is needed –
Before the KJV, there were 9 English Bibles in existence – Wycliffe’s, Taverner’s, Tyndale's, Matthew's, Coverdale's, the Great Bible (printed by Whitechurch), the Geneva Bible, the Bishops' Bible, and the Douay-Rheims. In accordance with the “Rules to be Observed in the Translation of the [KJV] Bible”, the translators based their work off 6 of these 9 English Bibles. Here are the two specific rules -
"1. The ordinary Bible read in the Church, commonly called the Bishops Bible, to be followed, and as little altered as the Truth of the original will permit."
"14. These translations to be used when they agree better with the Text than the Bishops Bible: Tindoll's, Matthews, Coverdale's, Whitchurch's, Geneva." [1]
As author, teacher, and Bible student, Larry Vance concludes, “The seven English versions that make the English Bibles up to and including the Authorized Version fit the description in Psalm 12:6 of the words of the Lord being "purified seven times" are Tyndale's, Matthew's, Coverdale's, the Great Bible (printed by Whitechurch), the Geneva Bible, the Bishops' Bible, and the King James Bible.” [2]
Lest there be some doubt as to whether the additional 3 Bibles should have been included, Vance also includes some reasons why the translators likely omitted each –
The Language -
- The Wycliffe Bible was the first Bible translated into the English language. However, it was translated from the Latin (Catholic) Vulgate – not the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts.
- The Taverner Bible was basically a revision of the Matthew’s Bible, and never gained much influence.
- The Douay-Rheims Bible was a Catholic translation (the first English one). It too was taken from the Latin Vulgate.
Aside from my own personal bias towards the old-fashioned beauty and eloquence of the so-called “archaic language” of the KJV, the very fact that the language is different sets it apart from other versions. It projects a certain majesty, nobility, superiority, and beauty that other versions lack. By seeking to “make it easier to understand”, new versions instead drag the language down to today’s level - removing those qualities just listed. Some even make it downright vulgar. Check out 1 Samuel 20:30 and 1 Kings 18:27 in the TLB (Living Bible), and Ezekiel 23:20 and Galatians 5:12 in the NIV for example....they're too crudely worded for me to list here.
Memorization -
With its unique rhyme and alliteration, the KJV is the easiest to memorize. Mix up all the new versions and memorization is extremely difficult. Uniformity is lost as soon as you have multiple versions.
History -
Last but not least, the KJV stands alone in the richness of history behind it. It is quite fascinating to study. So many revolutionary changes occurred in the 1500's, particularly related to Christianity, and it is clear to me how heavily God's hand was involved. Unfortunately it would require too much space to go into details here, but I hope to write more on this in the future. For now, it is enough to add that the KJV was was translated at the peak of an unrivalled era of excellence in English literature. For reference, Shakespeare was writing his plays at the same time (1589-1613).
Can someone be saved through the other versions?
Before concluding, I would like to clarify that I do believe it is possible for people to get saved from other versions. All other versions do have some amount of truth in them, and most contain at least some good verses relating to the basic plan of salvation. The problem is, the more error you mix in with truth, the more polluted it becomes. The text is no longer pure. It's like putting a couple drops of poison in a glass of water - 99% of it is pure water, but that 1% can be deadly. With Bible reading being so essential to any Christian seeking to further their growth and relationship with the Lord, not having a pure Bible will quickly lead to confusion and warped doctrine.
And this, combined with all the points covered in this post, is why I believe that the King James Bible is the only pure, perfect, and preserved Word of God for the English speaking people of today.
"Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it."
Psalm 119:140
[1] Rules to be Observed by the Translators (with history)
[2] Larry Vance, Purified 7 Times (Excellent article!)
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