The
King James Bible
When
someone asks me if I use the King James Bible, I always say, “what other
version is there?” As far as
I’m concerned, the King James Bible is the Book for me, there are no other
Bibles. I don’t like to
call the King James Bible a version, I call it the “King James Bible.”
God did NOT write several versions and did NOT promise to preserve
several versions. No, God authored ONE
book and promised in Psalm 12:6,7 to preserve it forever.
“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 FOREVER.”
As silver “purified seven times”,
that’s how pure God’s Word is. Don’t
tell me that God Who had the power to speak the world into existence isn’t
powerful enough to preserve his Word.
Scriptures
are clear that God is NOT a God of confusion. “For
God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of
the saints” (1st Corinthians 14:33). All the different Bibles on the market today are
confusing, they all say different things. For
example, many new Bibles remove the Word “begotten” from John 3:16.
The King James Bible says, “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” (John 3:16).
Why would anyone want to remove this truth from God’s Word?
Answer: to diminish the fact that Jesus Christ came to the earth as God
Almighty in the flesh. All
Believers are adopted Sons of God, but only Jesus is the begotten Son of
God. To remove the word
“begotten” from John 3:16 is a direct attack of the deity of Christ.
If this doesn’t make you upset, something is wrong!
We
must be on guard as Christians to the counterfeit attempts of the devil. God
only authored ONE book, Satan has authored many.
“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light” (2nd Corinthians 11:13,14).
Scriptures are clear that our enemy, the devil, wears the mask of a
decent and good guy. Satan comes to us as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The highway to hell is paved with good intentions and Satan is ready and
willing to corrupt our thinking any way possible.
Destroying our faith in God’s Word is Satan’s number one goal and
tactic. The serpent in the Garden of Eden asked Eve, “hath God
said?” Eve’s faith was shaken
in the Word’s which God had spoken. The
next step was for Eve to disobey God. If
Satan can only keep us from accepting the Bible as God’s Word, then he has won
the battle over our soul. If Satan
transforms himself into an angel of light, then why should it be difficult to
realize that Satan has gone into the publishing business as well.
It doesn’t surprise me one bit that many of the new perversions of the
bible contain thousands and thousands of errors.
Satan is a happy camper nowadays. So
it is vitally important that the Believer on Christ be aware of Satan’s game
and tactics. Often, the best way
for a sports team to prepare for future games is by studying their opponents
past games on video. They are
studying the enemy. We must do the
same. The Bible gives us much
information on the methods and means which Satan uses to corrupt people and
destroy lives. The only way we can
recognize Satan, his disciples or his works is by comparing them to the truths
of God’s Word. Apart from this
test, they may be very wonderful people to know and be around but still lost and
on their way to hell. Don’t let
them take you with them! We
must allow the Word of God to stand true in our evaluation of people, not how
nice and friendly someone may be. That’s
the problems with many folks, they’re too trusting simply because someone is
nice to them. Beware!
God
has promised to preserve His Word as we learned in Psalm 12:6,7.
This means that God’s Word DOES exist somewhere in the world today.
I believe the 1611 Authorized King James Bible to be that book. Many people have used the excuse that the archaic English of
the King James Bible is hard to understand.
That is ridiculous! Should
we rewrite Shakespeare because his masterpieces of literature are hard to
understand? Of course not.
So why can’t we study the King James Bible in the beauty of the
King’s English? The honest
truth is that the King James Bible is not difficult to understand.
It is written at a fifth grade reading level.
And let me say, If your not a believer, you won’t be able to understand
the Bible properly until you accept Christ as your Savior.
This is the real problem. Most
cults are started by people who attempt to study the Bible without the presence
of the Author. The Holy Spirit is
the Author. The Bible is NOT
supposed to make sense to unbelievers! “But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they
are FOOLISHNESS UNTO HIM:
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”
(1st Corinthians 2:14). The
doctrine of the “trinity” is foolishness to the unbeliever and to the false
prophet. The idea of God coming in
the flesh is foolishness to the unsaved person.
The concept of being “born-again” doesn’t make sense to the
unconverted soul. I once had a man
say to me, “that born-again stuff just doesn’t make any sense to me, I’m
sorry.” His sinful heart of pride and unbelief has blinded his
eyes from acknowledging the truth. He
chooses to believe a lie rather than seek after the truth. The Bible is clear that the natural man (the unsaved man)
CANNOT comprehend the Word of God and it is utter foolishness unto him.
You can’t rewrite the Bible to help it make sense to the unbeliever!
The unbeliever won’t understand the truths of God until the Holy Spirit
indwells him at salvation. You can
rewrite the Bible all you want and it won’t do any good.
No, the honest truth is that all these new perversions of the Bible are
copy-written. It’s all centers
around sales and making more money.
“For
the love of money is the root of ALL evil...” (1st Timothy 6:10).
One Bible after another keeps hitting the market.
It’s just about to the place where you can join the “Bible of the
month club.”
Perhaps
you are wondering what a chapter about the King James Bible is doing in a book
called “Salvation.” Let me
explain. The Bible teaches that we
are born-again by putting our faith in Jesus Christ. Why? Because He
is the One Who paid for our sins. We
learn Who Christ is and what He did to atone for our sins in the Word of God.
So basically, we are saved by putting our faith in the Word of God.
“Being born again, not
of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the WORD OF GOD,
which liveth and abideth for ever” (1st
Peter 1:23). We read in Hebrews
4:2, “For unto us was the GOSPEL
PREACHED, as well as unto
them: but the WORD PREACHED did
not profit them, not being
mixed with FAITH in them that heard it.
Many of the Israelites in the
Wilderness died and went to hell because they heard the Gospel preached (the
Word of God) but didn’t believe the things they heard.
You see my friend, you CANNOT be saved apart from God’s Word.
If you don’t accept the Bible as God’s Word, then where will you find
Jesus? It is the Word of God
that brings the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our darkened heart. Jesus Christ is called the Word of God in Revelation 19:13,
“...and his NAME is
called The Word of God.”
Do you know why?
Because every single thing we know about Jesus Christ comes directly from
His Written Word. The Word of God
presents a picture of Jesus Christ and Who He is. We read in John 6:40, “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which
SEETH THE SON,
and BELIEVETH ON HIM, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the
last day.” It doesn’t get much simpler than this. What must a man do to be saved?
You must do God’s will? What
is God’s will according to John 6:40? To
simply believe on Jesus Christ as He is portrayed in the Word of God.
This is why it is vital that you have the Word of God.
Notice the Words of 1st Peter 1:23 again, “Being
born again, NOT of corruptible seed, but of INCORRUPTIBLE, by the WORD OF
GOD, which liveth and
abideth for ever.”
Again, God is clear that He wrote ONE, INCORRUPTIBLE Word.
There are many corrupted bibles on the market and in our churches. You can only be born-again of the INCORRUPTIBLE Word of God.
In other words, you must have a proper view of Christ if you are to
believe on Him as Savior. Otherwise you are not believing on Christ, you are believing
on a false Christ. If I believe
that Jesus was just a good man or a prophet and no more, that is NOT acceptable
to God. By the way, I’m NOT
saying that a person cannot find Christ in other bibles besides the King James.
I am saying that the King James Bible is the most accurate and reliable
Bible we have in the English language today.
The concern with many other modern bibles is that a person may not
recognize the deity of Christ or other vital doctrines.
For example: we read in Philippians 2:5,6, “Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be EQUAL
WITH GOD” (Philippians 2:5,6). The Bible couldn’t be more clear that Jesus came to
this earth as God in the flesh. Jesus
forgave sin that only God can forgive. Jesus
accepted Worship that only God can accept.
Jesus was equal with God in every way.
Now read what one of the most popular bible perversions on the market
says, “who thought equality
not a thing to be grasped.”
Can you see the horrible difference and why I make a fuss over the King
James Bible? If a person is to be
saved, then they must accept Jesus Christ as the Bible portrays Him.
Surely, the simplest of faith is all that God requires to be saved; but
that faith must be in Lord Jesus Christ, not “another Jesus” which false
religion has to offer. Too many
folks say that they’re trusting Jesus but don’t really know Who Jesus is.
Anybody can say their a Christian and that they’re trusting Christ but
salvation is of the heart (which only God can see). The word “sanctimonious” refers to someone who does
everything right on the outside but things aren’t right on the inside.
They look very sincere and cross every “t” just right.
They dot every “i” just right. They
look like the genuine McCoy. However,
they are hypocrites! They are
pretentious and fake. Jesus made
reference to such people in Matthew 23:27, “Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited
sepulchres, which indeed APPEAR
BEAUTIFUL OUTWARD, but are WITHIN
FULL OF DEAD MAN’S BONES,
and of all uncleanness.”
People aren’t always what they seem!
We must not be sanctimonious.
I
only use the 1611 Authorized King James Bible and would accept no others.
The King James Bible is the soul-winners Bible and has stood the test of
time. Jesus said in Matthew
4:4, “...man shall NOT live by bread alone but by EVERY
WORD which proceedeth out of
the mouth of God.”
If I am to live by EVERY WORD of God, then I need an “Every Word
Bible.” Not all Bibles say
the same thing. They can’t
all be God’s Word. There
are multitudes of counterfeit Bibles on the market.
We are to live by EVERY WORD of God.
This means that God’s Word has an exact number of Words in it.
Surely a translation will NOT have the same number of words as the
original Greek or Hebrew it came from; however, there is an exact meaning
which must carefully be conveyed by the translators. When men translate or paraphrase the Bible, they are warned
by God against ADDING or SUBTRACTING from God’s Word. “Ye
shall NOT ADD unto the word which I command you, NEITHER
SHALL YE DIMINISH ought from
it” (Deuteronomy 4:2). When
I find a bible that is missing certain verses and passages of Scripture, I know
it’s a counterfeit. When I find a
bible that diminishes Jesus Christ and Who He is, I know it’s a counterfeit.
When I find a bible that diminishes the existence of hell-fire, I know
it’s a counterfeit. When I find a bible that removes the word “begotten” from
John 3:16, I know it’s a counterfeit. When
I find a bible that removes the word “virgin” from Isaiah 7:14, then I know
it’s a counterfeit. In mentioning
these counterfeit bibles, I am using a lowercase “b” on purpose.
I have no respect for counterfeit bibles.
There is NO compromise! Christians
are much too complacent concerning the Bible and false teaching.
We should stand and contend for the truth. “Who will
rise up for me against the evildoers? or
who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”
(Psalm 94:16). Surely
tampering with God’s Word is a great iniquity.
It is a deadly and wicked sin to change the Bible. “For I
testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If
any man shall ADD
unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book: And if any man shall TAKE AWAY from
the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of
the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are
written in this book” (Revelation
22:18,19). God does NOT take it
lightly when someone alters His Word.
Listen to the warning by the Apostle Peter in 2nd Peter 3:16, “As
also in all his (Paul’s) epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things
hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest (twist),
as they do also the other scriptures,
UNTO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION.” Peter
admitted that some of Paul’s writings were difficult to understand.
They were NOT difficult to read but to comprehend.
Some people were attempting to REWRITE Paul’s words into a more
understandable paraphrase. Peter
said they were doing it unto THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION.
In other words, these people were changing the Bible into lies and
foolishness. They didn’t know
what they were doing! This is the
same situation with the King James Bible today.
These so called “experts” have rewritten and changed the Word of God
to make it more easily understandable.
The result is a lot of heresies and misinterpretations of the truth. The King James Bible is NOT hard to read but will be
impossible to comprehend if you are not a Believer.
For the Believer, we must “study.”
“STUDY to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH”
(2nd Timothy 2:15). We must not be
lazy in our Bible studies.
The
King James Bible is not “a book”, it is “The Book.”
It is Not a version, it is the Bible.
It is the hope of our salvation and a lamp unto our feet.
It presents our only hope in Christ crucified.
It awakens man to his sinful condition and directs us to our wonderful
Savior. It is as a friend while we walk through the valley of
the shadow of death. The Word of
God has been preserved, word for word, in the King James Bible. May we love, cherish and obey the Word of God more than life,
for to do so is to love the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.