My grandfather, a true preacher of the Lord Jesus, believed that the King James 1611 Authorized Version was exactly the Word of God. I should have believed him and let it be done at that. His life was a splendid example of the simple, godly, and separated Christian life. But when I went to Grace Theological Seminary, we were taught to correct the mistakes in the King James Version. We were told that there were fragments of manuscripts that were better than the Textus Receptus from which the King James Bible was translated. One of the main principles that we learned in Greek and Hebrew classes was the changing of the original language texts. It would be a rare and independent student who would come away with absolute confidence in the King James Version of the Bible. Instead we believed that our responsibility was to improve the Holy Scriptures by selecting "superior readings" from little scraps of papyrus or parchment that I have since learned are unreliable and corrupted through various motives.
Change from the "critical" position came slowly. Although I had purchased The King James Version Defended by Edward F. Hills while I was a student in seminary, I did not read it until years later. It was not until my brother, who is a dentist in Dayton, gave me a set of tapes, that I was deeply impressed. I came to see that my heart had been more open to human scholarship than to the written Word of God. The forceful claims of the teacher on those tapes made me repent of my tampering with something that belonged to God. After study, I confessed my sin to the congregation that I now serve and tried to make amends in the congregation that I served in Bowling Green, Ohio, during 1968-1970. Through the intervening years I have been helped by many books and articles, but nothing made the matter more clear than the Bible Itself.

The Psalmist by inspiration says to God, "Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy name." It is also written concerning the Lord Jesus and the Father's watchful care of Him, "For He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep Thee in all Thy ways. They shall bear Thee up in their hands, lest Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." If the Lord Jesus had such marvelous protection, and the Lord promised to magnify His Word above His own name, it would be the best part of Scriptural belief to acknowledge that God's written Word will be preserved with the same care.

We are not left to indirect reasoning from God's Word. He tells us clearly, "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" (Psalm 12:6-7). The Prophet says, "The Word of our God shall stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8). The Lord Jesus says, "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18) Do you think the Lord is less concerned about the New Testament revelation than He is the Law? I believe the words, "the Scripture cannot be broken," mean more than the Scripture will be proven true in everything that it says. After all, "man shall... live...by EVERY WORD OF GOD."

"Hear the Word of the Lord, ye that tremble at His Word." Should we not indeed tremble to think that philosophers using human principles are breaking up God's Holy Word? The Apostle Paul writing by inspiration to Timothy said that the copies he had were Holy Scripture. The Apostle was not referring to original manuscripts. They didn't have the original manuscripts of the Old Testament that Timothy would have had as a child. Listen to the Word of God, "...from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 3:14-17).

I am thankful for the reprinted works of Dean John Burgon which prove that disputed readings of the Textus Receptus were quoted by "Church Fathers" in the earliest centuries. I am thankful for the mathematical and computerized studies of Wilbur N. Pickering which show the Majority Text is authentic. I praise the Lord for the historical research done by Edward F. Hills that confirms the clear assertions that the Bible would be preserved down through the centuries of time. We should all be thankful for bold preachers and teachers who insist that God has indeed kept His Word for us to believe. One might even be grateful for the scholarly work of Gordon H. Clark who shows how foolish textual criticism is --although he does not come to the same conclusion as we. Perhaps the most usable materials are those compiled by the late David Otis Fuller whose loyalty to the Lord Jesus and His Word resulted in the masterful book entitled Which Bible?.

While some do not feel that they should contend over versions and translations, it is important that we do so. It is our duty because there is no other standard translation. Beyond that, there is no other version or translation of the Bible that is both readily available and based upon the preserved Greek and Hebrew manuscripts that have the clear mark of God's providence and approval. No group of learned men, who were both expert in the languages and grounded in vital doctrine, could be assembled to rival the men that God superintended when the King James translators met. No group of men today could have the approval needed to replace the King James Bible as the reliable standard that we must have to give us life and guidance for doctrine and conduct. We must demand a Bible that meets the Bible's requirement for integrity in all Its words. There is one Bible that meets all of the following criteria: (1) based on the preserved texts; (2) fully reliable in its translation of those texts; (3) proven dependability for spiritual teaching; (4) translated without profit motive; (5) wide acceptability to Christians of all kinds; (6) translators with superior qualifications in linguistics; and (7) translators with sound doctrine and deep devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Lord help you to see what that one Bible is.

New translations and individual study of the Greek and Hebrew should not be discouraged -- although it has but limited value to most Christians. The primary consideration ought to be the spiritual condition of the translator and the use of the God-preserved texts. No translation or study should be encouraged if it is based upon the texts prepared by scholastic philologists using corrupted fragments created by spiritually-mutilated theologians!
The best place to start the study of translations is to read the King James 1611 Authorized Version. If you believe what it says, you will be satisfied without any confirming evidence that men could add. If you believe what God says in His Word, you will not need linguistics, historical data, archeological data, mathematics, scientific principles of textual criticism, human theologies, commentaries, or other convoluted philosophy. If you read the King James Bible and believe it, you will not only be a saved person, but you will be a truly satisfied person. May I recommend this to you?

SUGGESTED BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER STUDIES
Burgon, John W. Unholy Hands on the Bible: An Introduction to Textual Criticism, edited by Jay P. Green, Sr. Lafayette, Indiana: Sovereign Grace Trust Fund, copyright 1990.
Burgon, John W. --- Many of his works have been reprinted by The Dean Burgon Society, Box 359, Collingswood, New Jersey 08108.
Fuller, David Otis. Which Bible? Grand Rapids, Michigan 49501: Grand Rapids International Publications (Kregel), c. 1970, etc. Other books by David Otis Fuller are also available and worthy.
Hills, Edward F. The King James Version Defended. Des Moines, Iowa 50310: The Christian Research Press, P.O. Box 2013, c. 1956, 1973, 1979. Also by the same author is Believing Bible Study.
Pickering, Wilbur N. The Identity of the New Testament Text. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. c. 1977, l980.
Ray, Jasper James. God Wrote Only One Bible. Junction City, Oregon 97448: The Eye Opener Publishers, c. 1955, 1970.
Ruckman, Peter S. The Christian's Handbook of Manuscript Evidence. Pensacola, Florida 32514: Bible Baptist Bookstore, P.O. Box 7135, c. 1970, etc.
Trinitarian Bible Society, 39 Caldwell Crescent, Brampton, Ontario, Canada L6W 1A2 has many excellent articles and books available showing the superior standing of the King James Version and foreign language Bibles based upon the Textus Receptus.

THE AUTHOR
John McKay, who has an academically earned doctorate in theology, has been the pastor of Grace Bible Church in Defiance since 1970. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton and holds a degree in Respiratory Care from Kettering College of Medical Arts. The Master of Divinity degree came from Grace Theological Seminary. In addition to the pastorate and administration of Grace Academy, Dr. McKay works regularly in respiratory care.

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