King James Version of the Bible only?
Why? Most peoples answer to this question is because that is what my church does or that is what my preacher has always told us. Let me ask a question….do you believe that your preacher probably asserts his opinion here and there in his sermons on Sunday? Of course he does. Let me ask another question… is it possible that your preacher could have gotten told that the KJV of the Bible was the only correct version, believed it just like you did and assumed it was true without ever investigating the truth behind it. I have no problem [well actually I do] with people who want to read only the KJV but at least know why you do. A thinking person that only reads the KJV has to at least ask the question why do I believe what I believe? I don’t care that the person who told you has a degree in seminary or is a valid resource, look it up for yourself, make sure they didn’t tell you their version of the story.
Other versions are in error…
Most people, who only read the KJV claim that any other versions have errors, interpret too much; leave out key words that could help someone understand the gospels. This has some validity to some extent, take the Message Bible for example, it has obviously had things added to it that were not part of the original text.. I once talked to a seminary student / preacher who was a KJV only type of guy. I asked him why he believed this so firmly. One error he pointed out was that the KJV in John 3:16 had the words “only begotten” and other versions did not. Posted below are the KJV & the NKJV …look at the minute difference.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.- KJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.- NKJV
Ok so looking above is there really that much difference? Does this impede your understanding of God’s sacrifice for you. Does this impede your understand of the gospel? I typically read the New King James Version, this happens to be my preference but I am not against most versions. I am posting the Holman Christian Standard verse below… Read and find the differences.
16 “For God loved the world in this way:[a] He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.- HCSB
So the preacher that I talked to said that the version above [HCSB] was wrong because it says “One and Only” son, which technically was wrong because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:45-
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.- KJV
Apparently “One and Only” can’t apply because Jesus was a second Adam, therefore He wasn’t a “One and Only.” Does this really matter? Can you not understand the gospel, accept Christ if this detail is incorrect?
Could the KJV be in error …is it possible?
What I want to do in this section is to show that the KJV is in error. If the KJV is the only version that we are suppose to read then it should be flawless by definition. If not then the whole validity of it crumbles. John 15: 2 in the KJV reads
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. –KJV
So I know your wondering, what is wrong with this verse. I heard my preacher say two weeks ago that in the verse above “he taketh away” actually in the Greek means “ to lift up” or “ to raise up”
I was actually curious about this to see if he was telling the truth, I looked it up on a website called the Blue Letter Bible. This site is a reference site which many preachers use for Greek meanings to get a better understanding. I have provided a link below
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G142&t=KJV
So why is this important?
My entire life when reading that verse, even in the KJV might I add, that I thought that “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away. So in my mindset this either meant one of two things: God got rid of me, quit using me, or God tossed me into hell. This produced an element of fear in me that caused me to want to work harder but ….not out of love but fear.
Now, read it according to the Greek…..
Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit he lifts up…..God is the vinedresser so He lifts Christians back up on to the wire of which vines grow so that they may produce fruit. WOW! That’s comforting, you mean that God would lift me back up on the wires that usually hold the vines so that I could bear fruit, He would lift me off the ground where I’m not supposed to be and give me a second chance? Instead of … seeing me on the ground metaphorically as vine and just tossing me to the side. Let me ask you thinking Christian… which sounds more like Gods character… To lift you up or to toss you away without mercy?
Sometimes there just isn’t words….
Why do preachers …. Even the hardcore Southern Baptist pastors, use Greek words at times in their sermons? Why would they do this? To give us the original meaning of the text at times. Sometimes what we have whether it be the KJV or other version is not a good translation from the Greek. So they study and make sure that we are receiving God’s word as He intended. If the KJV was flawless, inerrant, without blemish then why would a preacher need to possibly tell you what the Greek word meant? I’ll tell you why? Sometimes there just aren’t words, our English words do not always have a counterpart in another language. When the Bible was translated, the translators came to certain words that we just don’t have a word for. So what did they do? They chose the next closest thing to that word and meaning that hopefully wouldn’t change the context of what was trying to be said.
KJV only….why not read the original?
If the KJV is the only perfect version in English I could understand why it would be the only one that you would read. However, the old testament was written in Hebrew and New Testament in a common Koine Greek language. As a thinking person, I’m just asking you to at least ask the question “Could the translators/ scribes of the Old Testament mistranslated a word or two from Hebrew into Greek? Or Perhaps could translators of the KJV have mistranslated a word or phrase from the Greek to English? The only plausible answer is YES they could have. Next question…..was it likely that they did? Scribes of the time were extremely careful to transcribe exact documents, but sometimes they had to come across words or phraseology that they just didn’t have words for in their / our language. So if you are a KJV only type that believes hardcore that this is God’s only version of the Bible that is correct… then why not learn Greek…. Learn to read Greek… begin reading the original text. Why don’t most do this…because this would take too much time, this would be hard, this would take effort.
Why KJV people believe so heavily in this version?
C.S Lewis said its called the ring. People and the human heart is always naturally looking for a way to create a ring. A ring? Yes a ring, a circle that includes some and excludes others. A circle that says we are right and you are wrong. A circle that says we are better than you and we have something to prove it. KJV churches, pastors, and church going people love having an ideal that they can hold up and proclaim “We are the best and if you don’t hold up to our standard then you don’t belong.” Jesus constantly battled a group all throughout his ministry just like this ….who were they…none other than religious leaders. The Pharisees and Sadducees loved calling people out for not being religious enough. They even called out Jesus {God} for not being religious enough. So what was the problem? They thought that God would be a certain way when he appeared and He didn’t meet any of their expectations. Jesus called them out on this also in Matthew 23
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.- KJV
What heavy burdens? They require the people to do certain things that were not the law of God but man made laws. They interpreted the law to the nth degree. They metaphorically require that people only read the KJV. {I’m obviously making a parallel connection here} They do everything to be seen by men, is that not what churches who only read the KJV do? They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. I could explain this but would take a long time, essentially Jesus is saying they dress up to be noticed by men, to create a divide, in essence to say if you do what we do your are in, you are apart of us. Don’t we do this in churches today? I will almost bet that the churches who are KJV only also believe in extremely modest dress, women only wearing dresses, and men wearing suits. They will justify this by saying “We think we should give our best to God.” They have obviously never read 1 Samuel 16:7 which completely nullifies that theory.
So Jesus in Matthew 23
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees infect people with their teachings, they win people to their religion but not to God. They teach that person their traditions but neglect the teachings of God, even if they do teach the teachings of God they don’t do them. {Refer to verse 3} - KJV
[Side point, the above statements regarding different churches is only from experiences I have. Your church may be great, you may not judge people like this at all, but you at least have to sincerely ask the question, Do we do this, verbally or non verbally? Do we exclude those who don’t do exactly like we do? Does the person who is different feel welcomed and loved when coming in the door despite our differences. If the gospel doesn’t work in our churches it will not work in the world outside of the church?]
Jesus gets to the heart of the matter…Matthew 23:23
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!- KJV
Jesus says you pick out all these details but forget to do the things that really matter. You neglect the weightier matters of the law. You demand that people read only the KJV but neglect the single mother in the church who is tattooed up struggling to raise her two children. Jesus calls these people blind, they strain out a gnat to swallow a camel. What does this statement mean? I’ll give you an example, if I were to make dinner [spaghetti noodles ] and I watched someone pour cyanide into my noodles. However right before I strained the noodles a fly landed in my noodles. So what do I naturally do, I naturally strain out the fly so that I don’t eat it. What’s the problem though? I’ve strained out a fly only to swallow a deadly poison. Knit picking small details as to what version of the Bible I read verses whether or not I actually understand the gospel and accept Christ, which one has greater implications?
The translation from Greek to Hebrew….
Most people believe that King James is to be honored for this… and to a certain extent he may be. However there is a greater man who was before him that influenced this more than most know. Most can’t even tell you his name. William Tyndale was a scholar who thought that the average person ought to be able to have access to a Bible that they could understand. What a thought, who would think of making the Bible understandable? William Tyndale would…God did…
Why was the Bible in his time not understandable? Tyndale took the unpopular and awkward tongue of Middle English, studied Greek and Hebrew syntaxes and idioms, and began working on a version that farmers and average folk could understand and read. Any person with a brain would say that understanding the word of God is essential to accepting the word of God. Tyndale wanted the English speaking world to have the gospel in a form that they could read, understand, and apply. The Roman Catholic Church of the time however seen this as a threat, people had to rely on the leaders of the church for interpretation. If Tyndale’s new version of the Bible actually succeeded then the average person would no longer need the leaders of the church. The leaders would no longer have the upper hand and no longer have the control over the people they used to have. So what happened? Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church arrested Tyndale on charges of heresy and executed him via strangulation and then burned him at the stake. [Two executions seem a bit of overkill to me but who am I to judge?] William Tyndale is remarkably noted to have said before he died, God open the king of England’s eyes. This request was fulfilled not with Henry the VIII but with the next king of England, King James. In 1611 the 54 independent scholars who were commissioned by King James heavily relied upon Tyndale’s version of the Bible. Estimates say that 83% and 76% of Tyndale’s Bible were used in the KJV from the New Testament and Old Testament.
What was William Tyndale’s goal?
William Tyndale had a hope and goal that by translating the Bible into a language that was more common to people of that time that they might understand the gospel better. That the average person as well as the scholarly would have the same access to a Bible that made sense to them. That the average person would not have to go to a priest to properly interpret passages in the Bible. So with that said, is that not what modern day versions of the Bible are trying to do? To make the Bible more understandable to the average person of today? Have you ever tried reading the KJV? Its unbelievably awkward to read because …..wait for it… .get this ..WE DON”T TALK LIKE THAT ANYMORE. Our vernacular has changed… slang words have changed…
For example [Believeth, Believe ….same word with a “TH” on the end] Is your understanding of the modern day word “believe” hindered because it doesn’t have the “TH” ? Just like Tyndale wanted to translate to a more modern version of speech in his day…its all the sudden heresy to do that today? I haven’t ran into anyone speaking with thee, thou, believeth, ye lately …have you?
So is it only tradition?
In Mark Chapter 7 Jesus has another entanglement with the Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees and scribes want to know why Jesus’ disciples do not wash their hands. Jesus response is
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. - KJV
Jesus tells them that the Pharisees have made this doctrine up, that is man made, that it is not from God. Jesus implies that this is just another way for the Pharisees to control the people, get them to believe what they say is right. Get them to follow them instead of God. The commandment to wash just as the elders did was upheld highly, everyone had to abide by this otherwise they would be excluded from the temple. However the problem is Jesus [God] says this is a man made commandment, but they teach just as if God had sent it down from heaven. Has your pastor convinced you that the KJV is the only way? Have you been deceived into thinking that God made this commandment? I challenge you… find in your KJV where God says “Thus saith the Lord, thou shalt only read the KJV!” Let me help you out, its not in there. So why have certain people, denominations, pastors, churches put so much weight on this? Its tradition, just like the Pharisees and scribes taught that washing in the way of the elders was a command and rule because it was how they had always been taught, we have people that do the same now. The Pharisees just like some people now, never stop to question “Why do we do this? Does this make sense? Are we just being arrogant and prideful trying to create a ring of people who are superior?
What is an idol?
You may ask yourself why are you talking about idols? An idol is usually nothing bad or evil in and of itself. An idol is actually usually a good thing, but a good thing that has been given too much weight in our hearts. Possibly given more weight in our hearts than God himself. I know most of you are thinking I would never elevate a certain version of the Bible above God. However if you are offended right not you probably already have… Do you talk about which version of the Bible is right before you actually share the gospel? Which is more important to you, a person coming to know Christ, get saved and spend eternity in relation with God, or that they are reading the correct version of the Bible? Has the KJV become an idol in your heart? If I were to ask you KJV only …. If a person were to have to be sent into prison with no access to the gospel except a NKJV, NIV, ESV version of the Bible would you let them take it?
What’s the point?
What was the point of God sending us his eternal word? So that we could relate to Him. So that we could build that relationship through faith. So that we could come to know the gospel “Good News of Christ” accept it, believe it. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. God wanted us to have His commandments, His teachings and weave them into our lives. So are you telling me that I can’t do any of this without the KJV? That I can’t come to know Christ since I don’t read the KJV? That I can’t obey and understand the character of God without the KJV? I do this daily with God’s help. God didn’t call us to read a certain version of the Bible but to repent, believe, accept Christ, and build a relationship. If the KJV is that important to you then you have strained a gnat only to swallow a camel. You have neglected the weightier matters of the law.
What are the weightier matters of the law?
Look at the life of Jesus, He set an example for what was important. If you were to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the KJV or any version, what would you see? Jesus helping the poor, Jesus preaching to the people about salvation and repentance, Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus communicating with the Father, Jesus teaching His disciples what God [Himself] was really like. Could you not see that through almost any version of the Bible? When you state the gospel, assuming you do or might, do you it based on the KJV verses only. Is the gospel you present verbally to someone not “Your Version”, could you not possibly say a word out of order or possibly leave one out. I know very few Christians that can quote specific verses from the Bible down to the exact word. If you misquote have you not done exactly what you are accusing any other version of the Bible of doing?
Looking at the Bible too closely?
I have found through much research that many of the claims against other versions of the Bible are many times [but not all] one specific word. KJV only camps claim that one word makes all the difference. Does it really? Does someone’s eternal soul hang in the balance because of one word. They assume that a non-believer is going to so happen to stumble upon that one verse, only read that one verse, close the Bible only to never reopen it and spend eternity in hell because of that one verse. Could you glean enough information from any one verse in the Bible to give you a full understanding of the Bible and the gospel? I can only think of a few. Obviously John 3:16 is a favorite and rightfully so, but after a non-believer read only that verse, could they make a decision about Christ? Maybe, only if God drew their heart though, John 6:44. When people read the Bible they don’t just read one verse, the verse has to be taken in context with the rest of the passage before and after that verse. Intellectually it would be crazy to think that you interpret scripture only by reading through the lens of a single verse. We read verses within the context of the entire passage, using context clues to interpret the best we can what the verse and passage is trying to say.
Final point…..what is the big picture?
After talking with two people recently for an extended period of time I have concluded a few things. 1) One word in a verse does not deter me from using another version of the Bible. I am intellectual and study enough of the Bible to overcome and possible one word mistranslation. 2) Some varying versions probably aren’t the best for people to use. Can I give you list of which are right and wrong, no I cannot. 3) What is the big picture of Chrisitanity? To bring people to relationship with God through faith in Christ [salvation] I have concluded in my heart that I can do this without the KJV. I can explain the gospel as well as almost anyone and I have been using a NKJV. 4) Did I change the peoples minds that I talked too? Probably not fully, but I do know that they and I are both more enlighten to each others views on this. 5) Did I use too much divisive language and sarcasm writing this? Probably, it is probably how I best make points. Paul used sarcasm frequently in his writings, did he make people angry? I’m sure he did, sarcasm always does. 6) Jesus said Matthew 28:19 “ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…. Can we do this without one certain version of the Bible? I think so.. 7) Am I an expert on this matter? No but I do feel as a lay person that I can speak intellectually without 10 years of school. 8) At the end of the two discussions I have come to realize that we can both read either version and think each other is wrong but we all come to the conclusion that the "gospel" and becoming disciples is most important. 9) You may completely disagree with this post if you have made it this far, at least ask the question about anything that you believe? Why do I believe what I believe? Not because it was what my heritage has always done, or because it is what my family has done, or my preacher said so....those answers are only excuses
Why? Most peoples answer to this question is because that is what my church does or that is what my preacher has always told us. Let me ask a question….do you believe that your preacher probably asserts his opinion here and there in his sermons on Sunday? Of course he does. Let me ask another question… is it possible that your preacher could have gotten told that the KJV of the Bible was the only correct version, believed it just like you did and assumed it was true without ever investigating the truth behind it. I have no problem [well actually I do] with people who want to read only the KJV but at least know why you do. A thinking person that only reads the KJV has to at least ask the question why do I believe what I believe? I don’t care that the person who told you has a degree in seminary or is a valid resource, look it up for yourself, make sure they didn’t tell you their version of the story.
Other versions are in error…
Most people, who only read the KJV claim that any other versions have errors, interpret too much; leave out key words that could help someone understand the gospels. This has some validity to some extent, take the Message Bible for example, it has obviously had things added to it that were not part of the original text.. I once talked to a seminary student / preacher who was a KJV only type of guy. I asked him why he believed this so firmly. One error he pointed out was that the KJV in John 3:16 had the words “only begotten” and other versions did not. Posted below are the KJV & the NKJV …look at the minute difference.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.- KJV
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.- NKJV
Ok so looking above is there really that much difference? Does this impede your understanding of God’s sacrifice for you. Does this impede your understand of the gospel? I typically read the New King James Version, this happens to be my preference but I am not against most versions. I am posting the Holman Christian Standard verse below… Read and find the differences.
16 “For God loved the world in this way:[a] He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.- HCSB
So the preacher that I talked to said that the version above [HCSB] was wrong because it says “One and Only” son, which technically was wrong because the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:45-
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.- KJV
Apparently “One and Only” can’t apply because Jesus was a second Adam, therefore He wasn’t a “One and Only.” Does this really matter? Can you not understand the gospel, accept Christ if this detail is incorrect?
Could the KJV be in error …is it possible?
What I want to do in this section is to show that the KJV is in error. If the KJV is the only version that we are suppose to read then it should be flawless by definition. If not then the whole validity of it crumbles. John 15: 2 in the KJV reads
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. –KJV
So I know your wondering, what is wrong with this verse. I heard my preacher say two weeks ago that in the verse above “he taketh away” actually in the Greek means “ to lift up” or “ to raise up”
I was actually curious about this to see if he was telling the truth, I looked it up on a website called the Blue Letter Bible. This site is a reference site which many preachers use for Greek meanings to get a better understanding. I have provided a link below
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G142&t=KJV
So why is this important?
My entire life when reading that verse, even in the KJV might I add, that I thought that “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away. So in my mindset this either meant one of two things: God got rid of me, quit using me, or God tossed me into hell. This produced an element of fear in me that caused me to want to work harder but ….not out of love but fear.
Now, read it according to the Greek…..
Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit he lifts up…..God is the vinedresser so He lifts Christians back up on to the wire of which vines grow so that they may produce fruit. WOW! That’s comforting, you mean that God would lift me back up on the wires that usually hold the vines so that I could bear fruit, He would lift me off the ground where I’m not supposed to be and give me a second chance? Instead of … seeing me on the ground metaphorically as vine and just tossing me to the side. Let me ask you thinking Christian… which sounds more like Gods character… To lift you up or to toss you away without mercy?
Sometimes there just isn’t words….
Why do preachers …. Even the hardcore Southern Baptist pastors, use Greek words at times in their sermons? Why would they do this? To give us the original meaning of the text at times. Sometimes what we have whether it be the KJV or other version is not a good translation from the Greek. So they study and make sure that we are receiving God’s word as He intended. If the KJV was flawless, inerrant, without blemish then why would a preacher need to possibly tell you what the Greek word meant? I’ll tell you why? Sometimes there just aren’t words, our English words do not always have a counterpart in another language. When the Bible was translated, the translators came to certain words that we just don’t have a word for. So what did they do? They chose the next closest thing to that word and meaning that hopefully wouldn’t change the context of what was trying to be said.
KJV only….why not read the original?
If the KJV is the only perfect version in English I could understand why it would be the only one that you would read. However, the old testament was written in Hebrew and New Testament in a common Koine Greek language. As a thinking person, I’m just asking you to at least ask the question “Could the translators/ scribes of the Old Testament mistranslated a word or two from Hebrew into Greek? Or Perhaps could translators of the KJV have mistranslated a word or phrase from the Greek to English? The only plausible answer is YES they could have. Next question…..was it likely that they did? Scribes of the time were extremely careful to transcribe exact documents, but sometimes they had to come across words or phraseology that they just didn’t have words for in their / our language. So if you are a KJV only type that believes hardcore that this is God’s only version of the Bible that is correct… then why not learn Greek…. Learn to read Greek… begin reading the original text. Why don’t most do this…because this would take too much time, this would be hard, this would take effort.
Why KJV people believe so heavily in this version?
C.S Lewis said its called the ring. People and the human heart is always naturally looking for a way to create a ring. A ring? Yes a ring, a circle that includes some and excludes others. A circle that says we are right and you are wrong. A circle that says we are better than you and we have something to prove it. KJV churches, pastors, and church going people love having an ideal that they can hold up and proclaim “We are the best and if you don’t hold up to our standard then you don’t belong.” Jesus constantly battled a group all throughout his ministry just like this ….who were they…none other than religious leaders. The Pharisees and Sadducees loved calling people out for not being religious enough. They even called out Jesus {God} for not being religious enough. So what was the problem? They thought that God would be a certain way when he appeared and He didn’t meet any of their expectations. Jesus called them out on this also in Matthew 23
4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.- KJV
What heavy burdens? They require the people to do certain things that were not the law of God but man made laws. They interpreted the law to the nth degree. They metaphorically require that people only read the KJV. {I’m obviously making a parallel connection here} They do everything to be seen by men, is that not what churches who only read the KJV do? They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. I could explain this but would take a long time, essentially Jesus is saying they dress up to be noticed by men, to create a divide, in essence to say if you do what we do your are in, you are apart of us. Don’t we do this in churches today? I will almost bet that the churches who are KJV only also believe in extremely modest dress, women only wearing dresses, and men wearing suits. They will justify this by saying “We think we should give our best to God.” They have obviously never read 1 Samuel 16:7 which completely nullifies that theory.
So Jesus in Matthew 23
15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees infect people with their teachings, they win people to their religion but not to God. They teach that person their traditions but neglect the teachings of God, even if they do teach the teachings of God they don’t do them. {Refer to verse 3} - KJV
[Side point, the above statements regarding different churches is only from experiences I have. Your church may be great, you may not judge people like this at all, but you at least have to sincerely ask the question, Do we do this, verbally or non verbally? Do we exclude those who don’t do exactly like we do? Does the person who is different feel welcomed and loved when coming in the door despite our differences. If the gospel doesn’t work in our churches it will not work in the world outside of the church?]
Jesus gets to the heart of the matter…Matthew 23:23
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!- KJV
Jesus says you pick out all these details but forget to do the things that really matter. You neglect the weightier matters of the law. You demand that people read only the KJV but neglect the single mother in the church who is tattooed up struggling to raise her two children. Jesus calls these people blind, they strain out a gnat to swallow a camel. What does this statement mean? I’ll give you an example, if I were to make dinner [spaghetti noodles ] and I watched someone pour cyanide into my noodles. However right before I strained the noodles a fly landed in my noodles. So what do I naturally do, I naturally strain out the fly so that I don’t eat it. What’s the problem though? I’ve strained out a fly only to swallow a deadly poison. Knit picking small details as to what version of the Bible I read verses whether or not I actually understand the gospel and accept Christ, which one has greater implications?
The translation from Greek to Hebrew….
Most people believe that King James is to be honored for this… and to a certain extent he may be. However there is a greater man who was before him that influenced this more than most know. Most can’t even tell you his name. William Tyndale was a scholar who thought that the average person ought to be able to have access to a Bible that they could understand. What a thought, who would think of making the Bible understandable? William Tyndale would…God did…
Why was the Bible in his time not understandable? Tyndale took the unpopular and awkward tongue of Middle English, studied Greek and Hebrew syntaxes and idioms, and began working on a version that farmers and average folk could understand and read. Any person with a brain would say that understanding the word of God is essential to accepting the word of God. Tyndale wanted the English speaking world to have the gospel in a form that they could read, understand, and apply. The Roman Catholic Church of the time however seen this as a threat, people had to rely on the leaders of the church for interpretation. If Tyndale’s new version of the Bible actually succeeded then the average person would no longer need the leaders of the church. The leaders would no longer have the upper hand and no longer have the control over the people they used to have. So what happened? Henry VIII and the Roman Catholic Church arrested Tyndale on charges of heresy and executed him via strangulation and then burned him at the stake. [Two executions seem a bit of overkill to me but who am I to judge?] William Tyndale is remarkably noted to have said before he died, God open the king of England’s eyes. This request was fulfilled not with Henry the VIII but with the next king of England, King James. In 1611 the 54 independent scholars who were commissioned by King James heavily relied upon Tyndale’s version of the Bible. Estimates say that 83% and 76% of Tyndale’s Bible were used in the KJV from the New Testament and Old Testament.
What was William Tyndale’s goal?
William Tyndale had a hope and goal that by translating the Bible into a language that was more common to people of that time that they might understand the gospel better. That the average person as well as the scholarly would have the same access to a Bible that made sense to them. That the average person would not have to go to a priest to properly interpret passages in the Bible. So with that said, is that not what modern day versions of the Bible are trying to do? To make the Bible more understandable to the average person of today? Have you ever tried reading the KJV? Its unbelievably awkward to read because …..wait for it… .get this ..WE DON”T TALK LIKE THAT ANYMORE. Our vernacular has changed… slang words have changed…
For example [Believeth, Believe ….same word with a “TH” on the end] Is your understanding of the modern day word “believe” hindered because it doesn’t have the “TH” ? Just like Tyndale wanted to translate to a more modern version of speech in his day…its all the sudden heresy to do that today? I haven’t ran into anyone speaking with thee, thou, believeth, ye lately …have you?
So is it only tradition?
In Mark Chapter 7 Jesus has another entanglement with the Pharisees and scribes. The Pharisees and scribes want to know why Jesus’ disciples do not wash their hands. Jesus response is
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. - KJV
Jesus tells them that the Pharisees have made this doctrine up, that is man made, that it is not from God. Jesus implies that this is just another way for the Pharisees to control the people, get them to believe what they say is right. Get them to follow them instead of God. The commandment to wash just as the elders did was upheld highly, everyone had to abide by this otherwise they would be excluded from the temple. However the problem is Jesus [God] says this is a man made commandment, but they teach just as if God had sent it down from heaven. Has your pastor convinced you that the KJV is the only way? Have you been deceived into thinking that God made this commandment? I challenge you… find in your KJV where God says “Thus saith the Lord, thou shalt only read the KJV!” Let me help you out, its not in there. So why have certain people, denominations, pastors, churches put so much weight on this? Its tradition, just like the Pharisees and scribes taught that washing in the way of the elders was a command and rule because it was how they had always been taught, we have people that do the same now. The Pharisees just like some people now, never stop to question “Why do we do this? Does this make sense? Are we just being arrogant and prideful trying to create a ring of people who are superior?
What is an idol?
You may ask yourself why are you talking about idols? An idol is usually nothing bad or evil in and of itself. An idol is actually usually a good thing, but a good thing that has been given too much weight in our hearts. Possibly given more weight in our hearts than God himself. I know most of you are thinking I would never elevate a certain version of the Bible above God. However if you are offended right not you probably already have… Do you talk about which version of the Bible is right before you actually share the gospel? Which is more important to you, a person coming to know Christ, get saved and spend eternity in relation with God, or that they are reading the correct version of the Bible? Has the KJV become an idol in your heart? If I were to ask you KJV only …. If a person were to have to be sent into prison with no access to the gospel except a NKJV, NIV, ESV version of the Bible would you let them take it?
What’s the point?
What was the point of God sending us his eternal word? So that we could relate to Him. So that we could build that relationship through faith. So that we could come to know the gospel “Good News of Christ” accept it, believe it. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. God wanted us to have His commandments, His teachings and weave them into our lives. So are you telling me that I can’t do any of this without the KJV? That I can’t come to know Christ since I don’t read the KJV? That I can’t obey and understand the character of God without the KJV? I do this daily with God’s help. God didn’t call us to read a certain version of the Bible but to repent, believe, accept Christ, and build a relationship. If the KJV is that important to you then you have strained a gnat only to swallow a camel. You have neglected the weightier matters of the law.
What are the weightier matters of the law?
Look at the life of Jesus, He set an example for what was important. If you were to read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the KJV or any version, what would you see? Jesus helping the poor, Jesus preaching to the people about salvation and repentance, Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus communicating with the Father, Jesus teaching His disciples what God [Himself] was really like. Could you not see that through almost any version of the Bible? When you state the gospel, assuming you do or might, do you it based on the KJV verses only. Is the gospel you present verbally to someone not “Your Version”, could you not possibly say a word out of order or possibly leave one out. I know very few Christians that can quote specific verses from the Bible down to the exact word. If you misquote have you not done exactly what you are accusing any other version of the Bible of doing?
Looking at the Bible too closely?
I have found through much research that many of the claims against other versions of the Bible are many times [but not all] one specific word. KJV only camps claim that one word makes all the difference. Does it really? Does someone’s eternal soul hang in the balance because of one word. They assume that a non-believer is going to so happen to stumble upon that one verse, only read that one verse, close the Bible only to never reopen it and spend eternity in hell because of that one verse. Could you glean enough information from any one verse in the Bible to give you a full understanding of the Bible and the gospel? I can only think of a few. Obviously John 3:16 is a favorite and rightfully so, but after a non-believer read only that verse, could they make a decision about Christ? Maybe, only if God drew their heart though, John 6:44. When people read the Bible they don’t just read one verse, the verse has to be taken in context with the rest of the passage before and after that verse. Intellectually it would be crazy to think that you interpret scripture only by reading through the lens of a single verse. We read verses within the context of the entire passage, using context clues to interpret the best we can what the verse and passage is trying to say.
Final point…..what is the big picture?
After talking with two people recently for an extended period of time I have concluded a few things. 1) One word in a verse does not deter me from using another version of the Bible. I am intellectual and study enough of the Bible to overcome and possible one word mistranslation. 2) Some varying versions probably aren’t the best for people to use. Can I give you list of which are right and wrong, no I cannot. 3) What is the big picture of Chrisitanity? To bring people to relationship with God through faith in Christ [salvation] I have concluded in my heart that I can do this without the KJV. I can explain the gospel as well as almost anyone and I have been using a NKJV. 4) Did I change the peoples minds that I talked too? Probably not fully, but I do know that they and I are both more enlighten to each others views on this. 5) Did I use too much divisive language and sarcasm writing this? Probably, it is probably how I best make points. Paul used sarcasm frequently in his writings, did he make people angry? I’m sure he did, sarcasm always does. 6) Jesus said Matthew 28:19 “ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…. Can we do this without one certain version of the Bible? I think so.. 7) Am I an expert on this matter? No but I do feel as a lay person that I can speak intellectually without 10 years of school. 8) At the end of the two discussions I have come to realize that we can both read either version and think each other is wrong but we all come to the conclusion that the "gospel" and becoming disciples is most important. 9) You may completely disagree with this post if you have made it this far, at least ask the question about anything that you believe? Why do I believe what I believe? Not because it was what my heritage has always done, or because it is what my family has done, or my preacher said so....those answers are only excuses